Ebola Virus.
The risk that Ebola could spread into Central and Southern America, and from there into the U.S., is "a real possibility" according to the commander of U.S. Southern Command. Marine Corps Gen. John F. Kelly addressed the outbreak this week during a speech at the National Defense University in Washington, DC.
"By the end of the year, there's supposed to be 1.4 million people infected with Ebola and 62 percent of them dying, according to the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]," Marine Corps Gen. John F. Kelly said. "That's horrific. And there is no way we can keep Ebola [contained] in West Africa."
If it comes to the Western Hemisphere, many countries have little ability to deal with an outbreak of the disease, the general said.
"So, much like West Africa, it will rage for a period of time," Kelly said.This is a particularly possible scenario if the disease gets to Haiti or Central America, he said. If the disease gets to countries like Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador, it will cause a panic and people will flee the region, the general said.
"If it breaks out, it's literally, 'Katie bar the door,' and there will be mass migration into the United States," Kelly said. "They will run away from Ebola, or if they suspect they are infected, they will try to get to the United States for treatment."
The general also said that smugglers could traffic infected people into the United States, and shared an anecdote of encountering undocumented Liberian immigrants at a border crossing in Central America. Liberia is one of the West African nations hardest-hit by the outbreak.
NPR correspondent Wade Goodwyn has a segment on today's All Things Considered about the political, anti-immigrant rhetoric heating up around Ebola risks.
One theory making the rounds is that liberals, including those in the administration, actually want Ebola to spread across America, as punishment for the sin of slavery — because Liberia where Duncan was from, originally was designed to be a country for former America slaves.
As Rush Limbaugh told his listeners: "Do not doubt me on this, folks. There are people in this country who believe that this is ultimately traced back to us; because of our slavery, we kind of deserve a little bit of this. Make no mistake, that is leftists' politically correct thinking. The danger we have now is that we've elected people who think this."
This sense of betrayal is not to be underestimated. Radio host Michael Savage coined the president's latest unflattering conservative nickname, President Obola.
"There's not a sane reason to bring infected children into the nation other than to infect the nation," Savage said. "There's not a sane reason to take 3,000-4,000 troops and send them into a hot Ebola zone without expecting at least one of them to come back with Ebola — unless you want to infect the nation with Ebola."
"It rises to levels of treason," Savage said. "It actually exceeds any level of treason I've ever seen."
