Mike Curtiss (2 Nov 2014)
"Veterinarian Writes a Letter to the Editor Ebola"
Hi Friends,
I'd like to share this letter with all of you. Our borders, airports and harbors our being deliberately held open by a
evil and corrupt Kenyan traitor. On top of this he's got a ludicrous new policy of deliberately bringing infected patients
into this country for healthcare.
These policies are a direct contradiction of established quarantine practice. Pandemics
have always been best treated in the country of their origin.
Agape,
Michael Curtiss
Dear Editor,
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. Africa
has a disease called African Horse Sickness that does not exist in the
US; this is the way we have kept it out of this country. African Horse
Sickness does not cause disease in people, only horses; our government
has determined that it would be devastating to the US horse industry if
it were to come here.
The United States (and virtually all other countries) require a myriad
of tests and often quarantine prior to bringing in a foreign
I can’t legally cross state lines in the United States with a horse or
cow without a health certificate signed by a USDA accredited
veterinarian stating that the animal has been inspected and found free
of infectious disease. In most cases blood tests are also required. In
fact I can’t legally cross the Snake River and ride my horse in Idaho
without a health certificate and a negative blood test for Equine
Infectious Anemia.
I’m not complaining; the United States of America, the States of Idaho
and Washington as well as the other 48 states take the health of our
livestock very seriously, and we have a very good record at keeping
foreign animal diseases out of our country. I am happy to do my part to
maintain biosecurity in our animal population.
If I am a resident of Liberia incubating Ebola, to enter the United
States all I need to do is present a valid visa, and lie when asked if I
have been exposed to Ebola. Within hours (no quarantine required) I can
be walking the streets of any city in the United States.
I feel very fortunate to live in a country that values our animals so highly.
David A. Rustebakke, DVM