# Ebola: Half of Americans Avoiding International Travel Due to This **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 17, 2014, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563 "2014-10-17T03:25:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563/1 "2014-10-17T03:25:05Z")
> [@](#): > > Nearly half of Americans are so concerned about the Ebola outbreak that has killed more than 4,000 people in West Africa and infected two U.S. nurses who treated a Liberian Ebola victim in Texas that they are avoiding international air travel, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Thursday. [http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/16/us-health-ebola-poll-idUSKCN0I51Q920141016](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/16/us-health-ebola-poll-idUSKCN0I51Q920141016) Because of people panicking I think it is time for an international quarantine of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563/2 "2014-10-17T03:30:07Z")
People are retarded, and media outlets like CNN are doing everything possible to stoke the flames of paranoia and fear in order to increase ratings. If stupid people want to avoid international air travel altogether for irrational reasons, it will mean cheaper air fares for the rational among us. Excellent! ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563/3 "2014-10-17T03:35:43Z")
Two-thirds of Americans don’t have a current passport, so I’d say this poll is 100% full of shit. Cite: [Record Number Of Americans Now Hold Passports](http://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewbender/2012/01/30/record-number-of-americans-now-hold-passports/) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563/4 "2014-10-17T04:26:17Z")
47% said they were “avoiding individuals who recently traveled to Africa.” Given that probably 0.1% of people in the US actually know anybody who has recently traveled to Africa, I would also say this poll doesn’t reflect anything other than that people will say any kind of nonsense in polls. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563/5 "2014-10-17T04:27:52Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > [http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/16/us-health-ebola-poll-idUSKCN0I51Q920141016](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/16/us-health-ebola-poll-idUSKCN0I51Q920141016) > > Because of people panicking I think it is time for an international quarantine of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. O.K, I get people being afraid, but being scared to fly commercial overseas (as long they aren’t flying to W. Africa where Ebola is rampaging) is nuts. Primary health caregivers are the ones catching this in the West, not airline passengers. That said, I don’t know how quick I’d be to hand an airsick passenger a bag these days… I advocate a quarantine on travel from the affected countries to the US, but mainly because the costs of dealing with even a few patients in the US, and the ton of false alarms, will really strain our health care system. ---
**Author:** ![Amberlei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Amberlei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amberlei)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563/6 "2014-10-17T04:41:09Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > People are retarded, and media outlets like CNN are doing everything possible to stoke the flames of paranoia and fear in order to increase ratings. > > If stupid people want to avoid international air travel altogether for irrational reasons, it will mean cheaper air fares for the rational among us. Excellent! This is why we need a like button! After spending a while on Facebook today, the sheer idiocy of people has me so frustrated. Everyone is getting so needlessly over-the-top paranoid about ebola. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563/7 "2014-10-17T06:11:14Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > O.K, I get people being afraid, but being scared to fly commercial overseas (as long they aren’t flying to W. Africa where Ebola is rampaging) is nuts. Primary health caregivers are the ones catching this in the West, not airline passengers. This is probably because of the news that one of the Dallas health care workers who fell ill recently did travel by air (with the approval of the CDC, apparently, albeit on a domestic flight). ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563/8 "2014-10-17T16:12:42Z")
Over 4 million Americans have been abducted by aliens. Why is the Government not doing something about this?!! :smack: All 300 million+ Americans must be issued with tinfoil hats immediately. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563/9 "2014-10-17T18:45:29Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > …That said, I don’t know how quick I’d be to hand an airsick passenger a bag these days… Would you rather they barf all over you? instead of into the bag? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563/10 "2014-10-17T19:22:11Z")
If the OP is correct, then 50% of Americans are idiots. That includes people on Wall Street, who punsihed airline stocks this week for no good reason other than ‘teh ebola’. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563/11 "2014-10-17T19:28:40Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > Two-thirds of Americans don’t have a current passport, so I’d say this poll is 100% full of shit. > > Cite: [Record Number Of Americans Now Hold Passports](http://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewbender/2012/01/30/record-number-of-americans-now-hold-passports/) > [@Colibri](#): > > 47% said they were “avoiding individuals who recently traveled to Africa.” > > Given that probably 0.1% of people in the US actually know anybody who has recently traveled to Africa, I would also say this poll doesn’t reflect anything other than that people will say any kind of nonsense in polls. This is my opinion too. Im sure when airline travel figures are looked at in a months time the number of US travellers who actually travelled to foreign countries will be roughly the same as previous months. Perhaps a marginal drop but I doubt it will be substantial. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563/12 "2014-10-17T19:33:10Z")
> [@](#): > > Nearly half of Americans are so concerned about the Ebola outbreak that has killed more than 4,000 people in West Africa and infected two U.S. nurses who treated a Liberian Ebola victim in Texas that they are avoiding international air travel, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Thursday. Translation: “I’m staying away from the 7-11.” ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563/13 "2014-10-17T19:49:56Z")
Yep, I’m on board. Well, actually, I’m not on board at all; I’m avoiding international travel right now, too. And the fact that I don’t have the money for a trip right now, and I need to replace my expired passport, have nothing to do with it. I don’t doubt that the numbers being reported in the story accurately reflect the polling data, but the reporting implies that 150 million people in the US were just about to board international flights when they suddenly changed their mind. Get back to me when the airlines start cancelling flights due to lack of passengers. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563/14 "2014-10-17T19:50:02Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > If the OP is correct, then 50% of Americans are idiots. That includes people on Wall Street, who punsihed airline stocks this week for no good reason other than ‘teh ebola’. If half of people really are swearing off of international travel, then the airline business will suffer - so maybe selling off airline stocks isn’t such an irrational idea. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563/15 "2014-10-17T19:52:40Z")
Hey, half empty planes could be what we need to solve the reclining seat debate! ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563/16 "2014-10-17T19:52:57Z")
So who going to give money to the airline companies when they start to go for bankruptcy?With so little people flying. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563/17 "2014-10-17T20:15:03Z")
\ ***We’re all going TO DIE!!!** \* ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563/18 "2014-10-17T20:19:57Z")
Sweet! Hopefully my flight to South Africa next month won’t be so crowded. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563/19 "2014-10-17T21:31:24Z")
I’m sure those are the same people who didn’t have any plans to travel overseas anyway. They probably never even traveled overseas in their whole lives. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563/20 "2014-10-17T21:39:41Z")
Looking around, it appears that something like 3 to 4% of Americans actually fly internationally every month. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebola-half-of-americans-avoiding-international-travel-due-to-this/701563.md?page=2)