Ebola travel bans are ‘irrational,’ says head of Red Cross

Imposing travel bans that prevent people from Ebola-stricken countries from leaving those countries would be “irrational,” said Elhadj As Sy, Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, during a press conference earlier today. The measure — one that would be borne out of fear and panic — simply wouldn’t curb Ebola infections.

“[Travel bans] are not solutions,” Sy told reporters in Beijing, according to Reuters. “The only solution is how can we join our efforts to contain those kinds of viruses and epidemics at their epicenter, right where they start.” Countries should focus on raising funds and providing treatment to those with confirmed cases of Ebola, said Sy. If they can do that, the outbreak could be contained within six months.

Sy isn’t the first person to speak out against travel bans. The president of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, said last week that Ebola needed to be stopped at the source, not through travel bans. Restricting people’s movements would make the outbreak in West Africa harder to halt, because a ban would limit aid workers’ movements, and increase the rate of new infections. Still, a number of politicians in the US have called for a travel ban, despite the fact that the US has only experienced two Ebola transmissions thus far.

At the moment, the US government demands that people coming from countries with an Ebola outbreak enter the country through one of five airports, where they can go through enhanced screening procedures. And starting Monday, travelers will be monitored for a period of 21 days — the maximum amount of days it can take for someone to develop symptoms of Ebola — after they enter the US.

So far, the Ebola outbreak has centered around three African countries: Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. A total of 9,200 have been infected, and more than 4,500 have died from the disease. Ebola can be controlled through routine hand-washing, and by using gloves and other barriers to prevent contact with infectious bodily fluids, like blood and vomit. Ebola isn’t airborne, which means that only direct contact with the body fluids of a person who is showing symptoms of Ebola will spread the disease.