Baltimore County Congressman Calls for Travel Restrictions to Limit Ebola

Congressman Andy Harris (R-Baltimore/Harford) was among those on Capitol Hill Thursday calling for a travel restriction to curb the spread of the Ebola virus.

“The administration should impose some level of travel ban pending the creation of protocols that will protect healthcare workers and all Americans,” Harris, who lives in Cockeysville, said at the House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing. Harris is also a doctor who has been practicing medicine for more than 30 years.

His statement comes as one of two nurses infected with the Ebola virus is heading from Texas to Maryland for treatment.

Ebola—which can only be transmitted through blood, bodily fluids, contaminated objects (e.g., needles) and infected animals—has been concentrated in West Africa and was first diagnosed in Thomas Eric Duncan on Sept. 30 in Dallas, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Duncan, a Liberian citizen, had developed symptoms four days after traveling from West Africa to Dallas, according to the Centers for Disease Control. He died at Texas Health Presbyterian Oct. 8.

After two nurses who treated Duncan were infected, Congressman Harris called upon national leaders to take action.

“Because current protocols are not working, we must limit the ability of individuals traveling from infected areas to enter the United States,” Harris said.

The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that creating a travel ban from West Africa may cause travelers to enter the U.S. from other countries, which would make it more difficult to test passengers for the virus and contain its spread, according to CNBC.

Rep. Billy Long (R-Missouri) said he predicted health officials or the President would issue travel bans “sooner rather than later,” according to Reuters, which reported the Federal Aviation Administration said that the option was being considered on a daily basis.

House subcommittee chairman Rep. Fred Upton (R-Michigan) advocated for a travel ban until Ebola is at bay in West Africa.

“...we should not be allowing these folks in, period,” Upton said, in an Associated Press report.

Here is the statement Harris issued, in full, on Oct. 16 before the House Energy and Commerce Committee: “The Administration should impose some level of travel ban pending the creation of protocols that will protect healthcare workers and all Americans. Because current protocols are not working, we must limit the ability of individuals traveling from infected areas to enter the United States. In addition, the FDA needs to remove bureaucratic red tape to get vaccines, treatments, and diagnostic tests for Ebola available to the public as soon as possible. We can stop significant spreading of this disease, but it is going to require protocols that actually work being put in place and all healthcare workers remaining incredibly diligent.”

Photo of Rep. Andy Harris is courtesy of GovTrack.

Related: Texas Nurse with Ebola Flying to NIH in Bethesda for Treatment