Ebola - the best way forward?

Sadly, grumppa I am sure that AK47s would be all too easy to get hold of in Sierra Leone. More to the point, however, I remember that in the bad old days of my childhood the standard response to an epidemic (TB, polio, typhus, cholera, leprosy etc) was isolation well away from population centres, not slap-bang right in the middle of them. I appreciate that since those times medical science has progressed greatly and I am sure that now international medical agencies have mobile back-up and isolation facilities available in the field.

It was a correct decision!

papaoscar's legitimate concern to prevent the disease spreading calls for a radical solution. Every diagnosed case should be mown down from beyond contagion range by a squad of marksmen with AK47s, and the remains destroyed by another squad wielding flame throwers, for ultimate disposal in quicklime.

Harsh maybe, but I am sure Jonathan Swift would have approved.

I am shocked at that suggestion

If we abandoned health workers to their fate, there would be less volunteering to go into infected areas, and diseases like ebola would run out of control and spread across continents. Then your family would be at risk papaoscar

It's entirely right, surely, that the British nurse has been returned to this country to be treated, regardless of cost. These medical workers who risk their health and lives deserve all our support. They are real heroes in my opinion.

My concern is to limit the spread of this terrible disease and seek a cure as soon as possible. Those brave people who choose to volunteer to help in affected countries are indeed truly worthy of our praise and support, but I do not see any point in doing anything to encourage the spread of the disease across continents. God forbid that any member of my family were to contract some awful contagious disease, but if they did I would have to accept whatever the quarantine arrangements were. My own wishes would be secondary to the national good, however difficult that would be for me.

Would you be so concerned about the cost if it was your Son or Daughter.

Well said janeA I was horrified to read papaoscar's suggestion that a British nurse should be abandoned to his fate in a country with inadequate facilities. This is hardly the way to encourage highly qualified doctors and nurses to work in areas with real needs and to provide the best medical care possible. Organisations such as Medecins sans frontieres or the Red Cross and the like cannot be praised highly enough for what they do.

Papaoscar I think the answer is that the affected countries don't have the facilities to treat patients effectively and that is why so many people have died.

The nurse is British and risked his life to help Sierra Leonians. I don't know which government department will have borne the cost of repatriating him, but I think it is an entirely appropriate use of the money.

Provided that precautions are followed, as they will be at the Royal Free, the risk of another health-care worker becoming infected is low.