Contrary to what some media outletswould allow you to believe, Ebola is not HIV, Hepatitis, Measles, West Nile Virus, or SARS. Ebola is much worse. If Ebola develops a natural reservoir here, we will never be able to distinguish between someone with the common cold & someone with Ebola. The difference is that if you shake someone's hand who has developed symptoms of Ebola, you have a 60-85% chance of dying within 3 weeks should you become ill too. It is the most deadly disease on this planet. It has the potential to destroy our economy, kill vast quantities of civilians & healthcare providers, and be virtually impossible to control if it is allowed to anchor itself. These are facts.

We need to continue to support West Africa in every way possible, including providing more money, supplies, healthcare workers, and infrastructure. The best way to control the spread of this highly infectious disease is to contain & isolate it. We can continue to support West Africa without allowing it to spread to our soil.