# The fools who attacked & looted a Liberian Ebola quarantine center. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 17, 2014, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764 "2014-08-17T17:42:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764/61 "2014-08-19T01:02:18Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I have to say, my list of “things likely to be looted” previously had Ebola mattresses at the bottom. I’m going to hell > [@OneCentStamp](#): > > Well, second to bottom. Ebola box springs go underneath. Now I’m really going to hell - where did that darn handbasket go? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764/62 "2014-08-19T01:22:28Z")
You will most likely be amongst friends. “Heaven for climate, Hell for society.” - Mark Twain ---
**Author:** ![Amberlei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Amberlei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amberlei)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764/63 "2014-08-19T02:00:06Z")
The thing is, the slum where this occurred, West Point, is quite possibly the most impoverished and primitive slum in the world. Almost no residences have electricity or running water. Furthermore, a 2009 study by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs found there were only FOUR public toilets for 70,000 residents, and those toilets are buried in half a foot of excrement-encrusted newspapers. Most people just do their business in the river or the beach. It’s terrifying to think of how easily the entire populace could become infected as a result of this lack of basic hygiene. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764/64 "2014-08-19T02:33:20Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Now I’m really going to hell - where did that darn handbasket go? Might as well enjoy the ride … ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764/65 "2014-08-19T02:41:32Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > At the risk of being called stupid, ignorant or Western, have any countries in the area closed their borders? You mean, besides Madagascar? ---
**Author:** ![Bouncer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@Bouncer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bouncer)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764/66 "2014-08-19T03:03:40Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I have to say, my list of “things likely to be looted” previously had Ebola mattresses at the bottom. STEALING!!! Regards, -Bouncer- ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764/67 "2014-08-19T03:26:32Z")
[http://www.liberianobserver.com/security/afl-ordered-shoot-anyone-crossing-borders-night](http://www.liberianobserver.com/security/afl-ordered-shoot-anyone-crossing-borders-night) > [@](#): > > Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) Deputy Chief of Staff (DCOS), Col Eric W. Dennis, has ordered soldiers deployed at the borderlines in Bomi and Grand Cape Mount counties, Western Liberia, to shoot any individual/s crossing into the country from neighboring Sierra Leone under the cover of darkness. > > DCOS Dennis issued the order on Friday to the commander of the platoon-size detachments of soldiers deployed in those counties. > > The soldiers are under orders to shoot on sight those who violate President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s mandate ordering all borders closed in the wake of the spread of the Ebola virus across the country. > > Col. Dennis’ instruction was prompted by a report presented to him during a tour of the borderlines over the weekend by immigration officers assigned at Bo-Waterside. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764/68 "2014-08-19T03:27:09Z")
> [@](#): > > …previously had Ebola mattresses at the bottom. Tongue depressors. Syringes. Tam…no, I mustn’t. Over the line. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764/69 "2014-08-19T04:25:30Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > You mean, besides Madagascar? SHUT…DOWN…EVERYTHING!! I ran a couple scenarios in Plague Inc., both virus outbreaks as close to Ebola Zaire as I could make them, spread by blood, and infected vermin (rats in the game) On the “easy” level, the human race was destroyed in two years, easy would be the equivalent of doing nothing and letting the virus run it’s course On Mega-Brutal I lost the game, and a cure was found, but by the time the cure was ready, only Greenland, Europe, Madagascar (of course 😉 ) and North America had survived with minimal cases, mega brutal has all nations searching for a cure, quarantining the borders, airports and shipyards, and at times taking extreme measures, like executing large infected populations Yes, it’s just a game, I know I’m not looking forward to the next 3-21 days… Ignorance and stupidity can be deadly ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764/70 "2014-08-19T05:01:39Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > It’s true that Ignorance is the true the enemy. How the hell did we ever make it out of the caves? We were never in the caves. Only a small proportion of prehistoric humans spent significant time in caves, just like today. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764/71 "2014-08-19T05:20:26Z")
Here in the US we have groups that won’t vaccinate their kids for fear of the boogie man or something and we have other groups that bomb family planning clinics because their deity/crazy minister told them to. Some Africans believing Ebola is a hoax just isn’t as shocking as those sorts of things used to be. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764/72 "2014-08-19T14:00:52Z")
The people missing from the treatment centers have all turned themselves in to local hospitals. Still missing is all the looted, possibly contaminated material from the screening centers. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764/73 "2014-08-19T14:20:21Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The people missing from the treatment centers have all turned themselves in to local hospitals. Still missing is all the looted, possibly contaminated material from the screening centers. The people who were already at the center when it was attacked? None of those attackers who were exposed? ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764/74 "2014-08-19T14:28:55Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > We were never in the caves. > Only a small proportion of prehistoric humans spent significant time in caves, just like today. I wouldn’t pass up free shelter. ---
**Author:** ![Bouncer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@Bouncer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bouncer)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764/75 "2014-08-19T15:32:03Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Countries are screening new entries, as capacity permits. A full travel ban and the panic that comes with it would be economically devastating, and would lead to far more deaths than it prevents. In practical terms, the borders are impossible to seal anyway, so it doesn’t really matter. As a practical matter, it does matter. Closing the borders and limiting flights etc limits the transmission vectors and opportunities. There is no perfect seal, of course, and people desperate enough will try to find a way. But it does slow the spread of the disease, and does help contain it. And many countries are already imposing travel bans and cancelling flights. British Airways, for instance, has stopped flying to or from Liberia and Sierra Leone. This means there’s no direct path from those countries to the United Kingdom. Thus slowing/limiting the spread of the disease to that country. The reason that is important is one of scale. We can deal with a few infected people easily, but plop a thousand infected into multiple international population centers via airports and we have a medical catastrophe on our hands. Regards, -Bouncer- ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764/76 "2014-08-19T15:49:41Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I’ve got friends in the Peace Corps over there that have had to pull out. Are condoms really that hard to get people to use over there? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764/77 "2014-08-19T15:51:25Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > Are condoms really that hard to get people to use over there? Come on guy, he is speaking of friends. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764/78 "2014-08-19T17:01:49Z")
> [@Bouncer](#): > > As a practical matter, it does matter. Closing the borders and limiting flights etc limits the transmission vectors and opportunities. There is no perfect seal, of course, and people desperate enough will try to find a way. But it does slow the spread of the disease, and does help contain it. And many countries are already imposing travel bans and cancelling flights. British Airways, for instance, has stopped flying to or from Liberia and Sierra Leone. This means there’s no direct path from those countries to the United Kingdom. Thus slowing/limiting the spread of the disease to that country. > > The reason that is important is one of scale. We can deal with a few infected people easily, but plop a thousand infected into multiple international population centers via airports and we have a medical catastrophe on our hands. > > Regards, > > -Bouncer- The FAA had not issued any guidance on avoiding flights, and the airlines are doing this against current recommendations. Epidemiology experts do not see a need to stop air traffic assuming proper screening and tracking. But Ebola is not spreading like a video game villain spreading to distant capitals. It is spreading locally along land borders. If you were actually serious about stopping the spread, there are the borders you would be worried about. Unfortunately, they cannot be closed. They are long and unmanned, with massive foot traffic from local trade every day. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764/79 "2014-08-19T17:10:20Z")
> [@grude](#): > > My point about the clothing of crowds was just that blood soaked sheets being worth looting didn’t seem to make sense. I wondered about that too. Maybe some of them think they can work magic spells with such things? ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764/80 "2014-08-19T18:20:11Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > I wondered about that too. Maybe some of them think they can work magic spells with such things? The GDP per capita in Liberia is $413, and this community is poor even by those standards. At that level of poverty, basically everything is valuable. I am guessing most of the stolen sheets were not “blood soaked,” anyway. No doubt there were some clean items stored. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fools-who-attacked-looted-a-liberian-ebola-quarantine-center/695764.md?page=3)