CNN news 2014-11-01 加文本

cnn news 2014-11-01

CARL AZUZ, cnn ANCHOR: Thanks for spending ten minutes of your Wednesday with cnn STUDENT NEWS. I`m Carl Azuz at the cnn Center. There are more

than 1,000 U.S. troops in West Africa helping prevent the spread of Ebola. Thousands more are set to deploy. For some in the Army, there`s a

mandatory 21 day quarantine when they return to their base in Italy.

But for civilians who`ve traveled to the U.S. from Ebola-stricken areas, that`s up for debate. The U.S. government has revised its guidelines a

couple of times now. Some criticize it for overreacting to the Ebola threat. Some call CDC`s guidelines too confusing. Some criticize it for

not doing enough to protect Americans.

But here`s the thing: the CDC doesn`t have the authority to enforce its guidelines. States do, and a few have added their own regarding who gets

quarantined and when. It`s not illegal, the Constitution allows states to impose stricter health regulations than the federal government. But they

can`t be challenged.

ROSA FLORES, cnn CORRESPONDENT: San Francisco`s China Town was given a year-long quarantine order after a suspected case of the bubonic plague in

the early 1900s. This black and white video shows men, most likely the Health Department committee checking for disease. And then there`s

Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In the late 1800s, this startling historic illustration shows how a small pox outbreak forces people into isolation

hospitals.

Perhaps, America`s most famous quarantine happened right behind me: on Ellis Island, 12 million people were processed, more than 2 million would

be hospitalized or quarantined.

cnn`s review of quarantine and isolation`s statutes across the country reveals that all 50 states have the power to isolate and quarantine. At

least give states, specifically detail their power to treat the sick involuntarily, at least four states mean business. Violating the order is

a felony. Wisconsin could have the stiffest fine, $10,000. Mississippi, the longest jail sentence, five years.

The Centers for Disease Control is not recommending mandatory quarantines for everyone traveling from West Africa.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Deeply concerned about the Ebola situation.

FLORES: But a pen stroke could change that, if President Obama exercises his executive power allowing federal authorities to detain and medically

examine people traveling between states or entering the country.

(on camera): What prevents the government from overstepping its powers?

PAUL CALLAN, cnn LEGAL ANALYST: Whenever a citizen is incarcerated or confined, you can go into court and say to a judge, I`ve been locked up

without good cause, and I want a hearing on the issue.

AZUZ: So, are fears about Ebola well founded? Also, what for debate: The World Health Organization says there`ve been more than 10,000 suspected

cases of Ebola in this year`s outbreak. It`s the worst in recorded history.

The CDC says on average, 36,000 people in the U.S. die from the flu every year.

Still, one difference is, that people are far more likely to survive the flu.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It has now spurred debates about whether you`ll be infected while flying or make doctors don hazmat suits or cause local

governments to impose quarantines, but between five and 20 percent of the U.S. population between now and February will likely come down with the

flu. Though most people will suffer only fever, aches or chills, but the very young, the very old or those who are already sick, the flu can be

fatal.

DR. JESSE GOODMAN, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: The defenses are weakened by the flu virus and a bacteria can come in and set up sharp in the longs, so when

that happens, you know, your lungs are compromised. You might have very bad craft, you might even become unable to breathe without assistance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unlike Ebola, which is hard to get, the flu is easily transmitted by casual contact. On public transit and restaurants, at any

public event. And flu pandemics have ravaged the world. In 1918, the Spanish flu killed an estimated 30 to 50 million people, perhaps many

millions more. Still, less than half of the U.S. population receives a flu shot, so the CDC says in any given year, 200,000 people will get a severe

case of the flu, so severe they`ll wind up in the hospital.