How effective are travel bans on curbing the spread of infectious diseases?

According to the lead study author, Nicole Errett, this is largely due to there being a lack of research in this area. "Some of the evidence suggests that a travel ban may delay the arrival of an infectious disease in a country by days or weeks. However, there is very little evidence to suggest that a travel ban eliminates the risk of the disease crossing borders in the long term," she said.

There is very little evidence to suggest that a travel ban eliminates the risk of the disease crossing borders in the long term

The researchers looked through published articles to find those that directly addressed travel bans used to reduce the geographic impact of the Ebola virus, SARS, MERS and the Zika virus. They were able to find only six studies that fit their criteria, and all six were based on models or simulations rather than data from actual bans after they were implemented, to assess the effectiveness of travel bans in controlling outbreaks.

The researchers said that research questions, partnerships and study protocols should be established ahead of the next outbreak so empirical data can be collected and assessed quickly. They stated that additional research is urgently needed to inform policy decisions, especially in light of the huge social, economic and political impacts of their implementation.

"Travel bans are one of several legal options that governments have drawn on to mitigate a pandemic," said co-author Lainie Rutkow, a professor of health policy and management at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "As coronavirus spreads, our study raises the importance of understanding the effectiveness of legal and policy responses intended to protect and promote the public's health."