Government Uses Quarantines to Protect American Animals, Not the American People

Writing for the Wilson County News, veterinarian David A. Rustebakke says that the same American government currently refusing to quarantine travelers from Ebola-ravaged West Africa is the same government that uses strict quarantines to protect American livestock from disease using quarantines:

If I wish to import a horse into the United States from Liberia or any African country other than Morocco, the horse needs to undergo a 60-day quarantine period at a USDA-approved quarantine facility prior to mingling with the general population of horses in this country. …

If I were a resident of Liberia incubating Ebola, however, in order to enter the United States all I need to do is present a valid visa. I could lie when asked if I’d have been exposed to Ebola or, if showing symptoms, take Tylenol before going to the airport. Within hours (no quarantine required) I can be walking the streets of any city in the United States.

Rustebakke points out that the animal quarantine is there to protect American livestock, not American citizens. The diseases in question cannot be transferred to humans from animals.

The doctor also says that he can’t even ride his horse into a neighboring state “without a health certificate and a negative blood test for Equine Infectious Anemia.”

John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC