But it isn't the first time that we have faced large numbers of people who may have been exposed to highly contagious diseases. Ellis Island and other "receiving stations" were created for just that purpose.
Two things happened. We became convinced that everything could be cured with a pill or a shot. And the politicats decided that having a large Public Health Service cost too much. So... in the late 60s and 70s, PHS was mostly dismantled, clinics, offices, and hospitals closed. CDC was expected to be able to sit back and handle the few cases of infectious diseases that made to the US.
Sound like hubris? It is. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
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