I bring forward this petition out of concern for...well, humanity in general. I am asking governments and the world, and specifically in this one petition, the Government of Canada, and its prime minister Stephen Harper, to shut down all access between Canada and the infected countries where the outbreaks are in progress. Areas including Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria; and set up stringent measures to quarantine individuals still coming into Canada from the regions for a set time until they are tested and cleared of the virus.

While I hear and read numerous news reports on the Internet and on TV about Ebola patients arriving in the US and Europe only to die later, and to have potentially spread the virus to others before falling ill and being quarantined. In my strongest opinion, that is the definition of 'too late' to protect a nation confronted with the virus.

Thanks to the global system of transportation infrastructure, from passenger ships to international airlines, humans can easily move around the planet, carrying whatever pathogens they picked up at Point A and delivering them to Point B. We can go farther and faster than we have in our entire history. Historical outbreaks have been no less destructive and changed the history of our species in colossal ways. For example, the Black Death, and the Spanish Flu, which, sadly, were not recognized before wiping out millions.

Unlike the Black Death, which is cured by an antibiotic, Ebola has no such cure. And Ebola has a kill rate of 50% to 90%. Patients have only their immune systems to rely on in their battles with the virus, in addition to water and food.

It is a turbulent and tragic time for the people in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and other regions in which the virus has spread, however, for the foreign aid workers who have risked their lives are brought back to their home countries only to die in local hospitals, and to spread it to others before they are quarantined; it is now a far worse crisis.

Ebola is now in Europe so far Spain, France, Germany, the UK, and Norway, it has been allowed into the U.S. states of Georgia, Texas, and Nebraska. While a few people recovered, others have died in hospitals much more equipped than facilities overloaded with patients in Senegal, Guinea, Liberia, and Nigeria.

Ebola is a deadly virus, with a 50% to 90% kill rate, and there is no cure. If one catches it, one can only hope his or her immune system has what it takes to beat the virus, because there is nothing else abundantly available that will help their system destroy the virus.

At this time, Oct 14, 2014 this pandemic is on the verge of taking the world by storm, and unless stringent measures are taken to contain the outbreak, this virus will exceed humanity's ability to contain it, and could take to the grave an unprecedented number of people. If this happens, consider it to be the Spanish Flu pandemic on a much bigger scale. Unlike the flu, which can be carried by air, Ebola is riding on the waves of human ignorance, and inaction, and will do much more damage than all the flu pandemics of the 20th and early 21st century combined.

At this time, the world is unprotected and everybody is at stake. Unless these countries are locked down, with nobody coming out and nothing going in but foreign aid, it is not a matter of if, but a matter of when this pandemic really gets out of control.

It is highly unacceptable that infected persons are being brought out of western Africa for treatment elsewhere, because it puts everyone around that individual at risk. Flight crews, other passengers, family members, friends, border officers, passersby everywhere, hospital workers, everyone. And if one thinks otherwise, I urge them to think again because despite the better treatment at hospitals in the U.S. and Germany, patients have still died.

At this time, there has been no news of flights or sea lanes to and from infected countries being cut off to the public. This is appalling, and will be more appalling than the controversial action of cutting off access in and out of these infected countries, and the economic and political damages that would result. It is even more appalling that a now known pandemic is not being locked down, months since its beginning.

Governments, and all organizations involved must take preventative measures necessary to cut off access to the infected regions, and only allow for aid to get in. Pool all the resources together to set up the best possible aid and treatment centers to treat the infected, but to prevent ebola from spreading, cut off all flights in and out of the outbreak countries, cut off all commercial shipping to these regions, and seal the borders. Only allow medical aid to get in, treat everybody and get this virus under control.

Other measures must be taken to isolate the pandemic within each country and assign a designated safe zone for those not infected, and set up a means to provide care and aid to these regions. This may sound far fetched, but merely screening people at airports, then throwing them into quarantine after they have reported ill is NOT GOING TO WORK!

Allowing transportation of people in and out of the infected areas is going to create way more cases in the future, along with economic and political damage than locking down the infected countries, and soon the pandemic will be world wide, and nothing will stop it. While all the resources must be pooled to provide care for those who are sick, at the same time preventative measures must be taken IMMEDIATELY to stop Ebola from advancing any further than it already has.

I will compare this to a forest fire disaster: Ebola is the firestorm, and humans are all the trees and plant and animal life about to be obliterated. Ebola burns its way through humanity, leaving only a very small fraction alive. Right now, the fire is small compared to a global pandemic, but it is literally not being stopped, and it will spread.

It is understood of course that people already in those countries would be trapped there until the pandemic ends, and it is very unfortunate, but to allow potentially infected people to travel to uninfected areas and unwittingly spread the disease and cause more cases and deaths is far worse than what we are seeing happen now.

Readers of this petition, I urge you to set aside the moral outrage of cutting off public and commercial transportation to the infected countries in west Africa, and understand that we are all at stake until such stringent measures are taken in to lock this crisis down until it burns out, taking with it the last of its victims (rather than millions more).

I urge you to be just as appalled and angry that no such measures have been taken, and that governments have neglected the security of their countries by allowing infected patients, whether citizens or foreigners to enter and risk exposing everyone to Ebola.

I urge you to call on your public representatives at municipal, county, state and provincial levels and demand more action to be taken than there is now. I urge all political representatives in Canada, the U.S, the E.U. the U.N, and the international community as a whole to push for the strictest action possible to keep Ebola out of un-infected areas, and contain it until the pandemic ends.

I am strongly urging the Government of Canada and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and Transportation Minister Lisa Raitt, and the Canada Border Services Agency to shut down all incoming and outgoing air traffic that is linked to Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria, either direct flights or connecting flights to and from these regions. Keep the virus out of Canada before it's too late. By the time someone tests positive in Canada, it is already too late.

Please sign and spread this petition to every person in Canada and beyond, and make it well known to the powers that be that only the strictest action will stop this pandemic.

PS- while writing this, I reflected: if I was infected with Ebola, I wouldn't leave the area. I'd stay there until I die or if I survived, until the pandemic is over.

For the sake of us all, I would like to see this petition signed by EVERYBODY,
and spread across the internet like wildfire.

I want to see it translated to different languages, edited to address governments of respective regions, printed, signed on physical paper and delivered to the governments of all state, region, and national governments and the international organisations such as the UN. I want to see presidents, prime ministers, and general secretaries, and even UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon read this and sign it himself and push those who can take the required action to take the required action.