Should laws allow foreigners who have a communicable, incurable disease the right to enter the country?

Factor: Danger of spreading the disease

Con: One way to limit the spread of incurable communicable diseases in the world is to restrict the international travel of anyone who has such a disease.

Reply: Only in rare cases should this extreme measure be necessary. In most situations, given that certain precautions are taken, the transmission of pathogens can be prevented.

Factor: Humanitarianism

Pro: People who have an incurable communicable disease ought to be allowed to enter the country where they can receive superior medical care for their condition.

Factor: Reputation of the nation

Pro: A country wants to preserve and cultivate its reputation as a country that cares deeply about human beings who are afflicted with handicaps or diseases.

Factor: Cost to the country

Con: The influx of a significant number of people who have an incurable communicable disease into a country will place a great burden on a health care system.

Factor: Reprisals from other countries

Pro: Certain interest groups and some other countries will call attention to any effort to ban the free travel of those who have an incurable communicable disease. They could put great political pressure on any nation that severely restricts the travel of people with such a disease.

Factor: Feasibility

Pro: In most cases, there is no easy way and certainly no thoroughly effective way to determine who has an incurable communicable disease or who does not. The costs of trying to restrict such people from entering a country far outweigh the benefits.

Pro: Any effort to sort people by the results of testing for an incurable communicable disease is bound to produce mixed results: some who are carriers of the disease will escape detection, and some who are not carriers will nevertheless be classed with those who are. Most often, the transmission of the disease can be prevented, if certain precautions are taken.