International Travel and Contagious Diseases – Should Health Regulations for Entry into the United States Be More Strictly Enforced?

Abstract

Throughout history, man has traveled to new lands in search of new economic opportunities. However, germs, transported as stowaways alongside families and household goods, presented as unwelcome “gifts” to new neighbors. “Migration of humans has been the pathway for disseminating infectious diseases throughout recorded history ... .” As civilizations grew through migration, so did the spread of infectious diseases. Controlling the introduction of diseases to the population, usually through the imposition of quarantine on the weary traveler, became a focal point for governments. However, in the rush to protect constituents from any sort of contagion, the traveler’s individual rights would fall to the wayside. Such was the case in the early history of the United States, where immigrants were subjected to strict health regulations for the smallest sign of any infectious condition upon their arrival in the United States. In the early 1900s, even before setting foot on American soil, emigrants were subjected to United States health regulations. Before the ship docked in the