To think that anyone coming to the UK from Africa should be tested for Ebola before they touch down on British soil?

[SuperWifeANDMum]

Just that really.

I really hope the government is doing all they can to prevent this disease coming to the uk.

Oh lord, do keep up.
BEING WORRIED: DAFT BUT NOT RACIST.
ARGUING FORCED TESTING OF EVERYONE FROM AFRICA: KINDA RACIST.

Any more questions?

It's either racist or it isn't. You know that as well as i do. Kinda? Wtf is that?

You really need to try reading. I can't be any clearer than I am being.

Being worried about ebola is daft.
Insisting we should test everyone from africa is racist.

These are two separate things. Not one thing. You see?

Can anyone help me here? Perhaps we could mime it for simon here?

You really do sound quite angry and bitter grockle. Goodnight.

Nope. Just frustated and a little disgusted.
Have you grasped the point yet? Or at least that two is different to one?

Err. Africa's quite big. That would be like banning the entirety of Britain from air travel because someone in Quebec had the sniffles.

Grockle, I think you're banging your head against a brick wall. Some people just don't want to listen to reason.

The OPs original post seems ignorant at best, bigoted at worst, but sadly lots of people seem to hold the same ideas.

Testing all Africans - racist. But no-one has suggested that.

Testing all travellers from Africa - wrong, but not racist (unless you have yourself made a racist assumption that only Africans would be travelling).

Is there a risk of a traveller bringing Ebola here? Yes.

Who is most likely to do that? Probably one of the British volunteers who has been working closely with patients in the outbreak areas. (Only racist if you assume the only Britons who would volunteer are those who identify with African descent).

It would be racist to say all Africans should be tested.

It is not racist to say any travellers (regardless of origin) who are travelling from affected areas should be tested.

It is only a matter of time till we have a case in the UK...IMO.

Oh for the love of Christ... I'm just back from South Africa. Where there is, guess what, no Ebola. As others have said, Africa is a continent and rather a large one at that.
And anyone suggesting I should be needlessly delayed after visiting my family can piss off.

The company I work for soon starts package holidays to The Gambia for winter....I know many colleagues are going to refuse the trip.

It has been said that if it continues spreading at the current rate, over 1.5 million will be infected before the year is over. That is terrifying and once numbers are that high then I think it will be impossible to keep it contained.

I am amazed there are still flights operating to and from affected areas. I am also amazed cabin crew are not striking over it!

Well Gambia is next to Senegal and they have had confirmed cases I believe. It's a relatively short distance to the border.

I recently came back from (east) Africa. When we landed in Tanzania, and again when we landed in Ethiopia, everyone coming off the plane had their temperature checked (without contact). There was also a form to fill in for Tanzania.

Nothing of the sort happened at Heathrow. At least not visibly. (There may be heat sensitive cameras that weren't obvious.)

Senegal's had one case, the same as the U.S.

We have the ability to shut down the virus quickly as we are a developed country and have the medical know how and facilities to treat it effectively. Nigeria had a small outbreak and contained it quickly so it didn't spread.

What is far more worrying is if the virus mutates and becomes airborne. If that happens I think you will find that suddenly the world steps up immediately as it will cease to be just a 'poor person' disease.

Senegal's had one case, the same as the U.S.

It is not the same thing. America will have more resources/infra structure/healthcare available to keep it contained.

Wow!!! So the op made a (misguided) suggestion but the insults that some of you have thrown about, jeez!!

Sorry op, YABU but the responses are uncalled for.

Senegal had one case, on August 28, so 37 days ago when the max incubation period is 21 days. That['s a pretty reasonable job of keeping it contained, I'd say.

The virus mutating and becoming airborne.....you've been watching too many hollywood thrillers. Just more silly scaremongering flapping.
Try some science, people. And stop being so self centred.

So if we're to test everyone coming out of the entire humongous continent of Africa because it's somewhere on that continent, do we need to test everyone coming out of North America, which is also humongous, BTW, because there is one case in Texas?

Your logic is not like our earth logic.

I'm with grockle. I can't understand why these threads keep popping up when ebola is genuinely the last of a thousand things that people in the UK should be worrying about.

And it does make me very uncomfortable that ebola IS killing people thousands of miles ago but people here in almost 100% safety from it are still saying 'but what about us?, ooh I'm so worried'.

This thread reminds me of all the hysterical crap around bird flu " I found a dead pigeon, we're all going to diiiiee!!!"

I notice the OP isn't too bothered about the people who are dying - no plan to treat and contain the outbreak in situ - but let's not miss an opportunity to enjoy a frisson of fake terror.

I think the this thread (and the other one was started yesterday) may have been in response to the news coverage of the WHO statements and the international conference on Ebola currently underway in UK.