On 2014 Oct 18, David Keller commented:

Restricted entry of travelers from affected regions is a valid means of pandemic control

Past pandemics have taught us that "travel restriction is an immediate and non-pharmaceutical means of retarding incidence growth. It extends the time frame of effective mitigation, especially when the characteristics of the emerging virus are unknown."(1)

During the 2014 ebola virus pandemic, the oft-repeated objection that travel restrictions would "exacerbate the West African epidemic by impeding the flow of aid workers and supplies" (2) could have been addressed by allowing aid workers to enter the ebola zones, and then return to the U.S. after appropriate observation or quarantine measures. Fortunately, the ebola pandemic did not break out into the U.S. population, despite transmission of the virus to hospital personnel.

Travel restrictions and quarantines are a valid means of slowing the spread of infection, and should be considered during the next deadly pandemic which lacks effective treatment.

References

1: Chong KC, Ying Zee BC. Modeling the impact of air, sea, and land travel restrictions supplemented by other interventions on the emergence of a new influenza pandemic virus. BMC Infect Dis. 2012 Nov 19;12:309. doi:10.1186/1471-2334-12-309. PubMed PMID: 23157818; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3577649.

2: Gostin LO, Hodge JG Jr, Burris S. Is the United States Prepared for Ebola? JAMA. 2014 Oct 17. doi: 10.1001/jama.2014.15041. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 25325877.

On 2014 Oct 18, David Keller commented:

Restricted entry of travelers from affected regions is a valid means of pandemic control

Past pandemics have taught us that "travel restriction is an immediate and non-pharmaceutical means of retarding incidence growth. It extends the time frame of effective mitigation, especially when the characteristics of the emerging virus are unknown."(1)

During the 2014 ebola virus pandemic, the oft-repeated objection that travel restrictions would "exacerbate the West African epidemic by impeding the flow of aid workers and supplies" (2) could have been addressed by allowing aid workers to enter the ebola zones, and then return to the U.S. after appropriate observation or quarantine measures. Fortunately, the ebola pandemic did not break out into the U.S. population, despite transmission of the virus to hospital personnel.

Travel restrictions and quarantines are a valid means of slowing the spread of infection, and should be considered during the next deadly pandemic which lacks effective treatment.

References

1: Chong KC, Ying Zee BC. Modeling the impact of air, sea, and land travel restrictions supplemented by other interventions on the emergence of a new influenza pandemic virus. BMC Infect Dis. 2012 Nov 19;12:309. doi:10.1186/1471-2334-12-309. PubMed PMID: 23157818; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3577649.

2: Gostin LO, Hodge JG Jr, Burris S. Is the United States Prepared for Ebola? JAMA. 2014 Oct 17. doi: 10.1001/jama.2014.15041. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 25325877.