An infected individual could board a flight in West Africa, become symptomatic in the air or after landing and then expose others to the virus. At worst, this might result in a few other people becoming infected and possibly dying. But sustained outbreaks would not occur in the U.S. because cultural factors in the developing world that spread Ebola—such as intimate contact while family and friends are caring for the sick and during the preparation of bodies for burial—aren’t common in the developed world. Health authorities would also rapidly identify and isolate infected individuals.
Am I wrong to detect notes of arrogance and patronization in that statement? That’s not a rhetorical question. I genuinely want to know. It seems to me that Dr. Lipkin is assuming things that are not in evidence and failing to take into account the much higher number of deaths and, presumably, infection rate in this most current outbreak compared to others. I see nothing in his profile that suggests firsthand knowledge which implicitly means he’s just repeating what he’s been told.