SANITY: No mandatory Ebola quarantine for health workers coming to Washington area

[morningfog]

One day after governors in New York, New Jersey and Illinois imposed a mandatory 21-day quarantine on medical workers returning from Ebola-stricken countries in West Africa, public health officials in the District, Maryland and Virginia did not follow suit Saturday, intensifying a national debate over how to prevent the spread of the disease.

Health officials are working on developing a consistent approach for the area around the nation’s capital. Joxel Garcia, director of the D.C. Department of Health, said that a mandatory quarantine was not scientifically justified and could have a chilling effect on the medical personnel, many of them volunteers, needed to treat Ebola patients at home and overseas.

* * *

“The more we make it difficult for health workers to stem the epidemic in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, the more at risk we are,” Gostin said. “Because in the modern global world, you’re not going to be able to put those three countries in cellophane wrap. People will travel to other parts of the world and come in through different countries.”

* * *

Privately, some legal authorities and hospital industry representatives say that logically, if authorities impose a quarantine requirement on health workers who treat Ebola patients abroad, they also should impose it on health workers who treat infected patients in the United States, a potentially disruptive step for hospitals that might also be unconstitutional.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/no-mandatory-ebola-quarantine-for-health-workers-coming-to-washington-area/2014/10/25/71a9a8c8-5c68-11e4-bd61-346aee66ba29_story.html

[morningfog]

1. Kick.

[KMOD]

2. Well that's refreshing to hear

Wonderful article.

Also worth noting near the bottom "On Saturday, federal health regulators granted emergency authorization for two new tests made by BioFire Defense that detect Ebola in humans." I checked it out, BioFire has a two hour Ebola test. That will help a lot!

[Chemisse]

3. Good!

It's just not necessary.

[uppityperson]

4. Good article, k&r

[seabeyond]

5. sanity. damn straight. this quote. i have yet to get a reasoned answer from those cheering NY, NJ

Privately, some legal authorities and hospital industry representatives say that logically, if authorities impose a quarantine requirement on health workers who treat Ebola patients abroad, they also should impose it on health workers who treat infected patients in the United States, a potentially disruptive step for hospitals that might also be unconstitutional.

when they can state that those coming into the country must be quarantined, yet ignore all in the u.s. that have dealt with ebola, it stinks to high heaven.

[RobertEarl]

6. This is a war on Ebola

We have to make sacrifices.

See this thread: Obama should rent a hotel for Ebola workers
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025715740

As for hospitals, they will not be making the same mistakes as Texas hospital did. So their workers should be safe. It is those from Africa that are in need. I say we take good care of them, if they want to be taken care of.

[Fred Sanders]

7. "Not scientifically justified". But what about the folks who find lies more comforting than truth?

Why do the folks of some states get their fear blankee and others do not?

Thank you to these Governors who listen to the scientists, not the TV talking heads, their brain washed mobs of fear or the vulture politicians.