CSTE Urges States to Heed CDC's Ebola Quarantine Guidance

ATLANTA, Oct. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Recent decisions by governors to enforce quarantines on health professionals and other individuals returning from Ebola-affected countries in West Africa are not rooted in science and provide a serious disincentive for health professionals to fight this disease at its source. The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE)—representing the nation's "disease detectives" working on the frontlines to stop Ebola here at home and overseas—supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Interim Guidance for Monitoring and Movement of Persons with Potential Ebola Virus Exposure (updated October 27, 2014). 

Quarantine is the legal authority by which a well individual is restricted in their movement or actions because there is a reasonable concern that they were exposed to (and may be incubating) a contagious infection that poses considerable threat to the public's health.

"Quarantine should be implemented on a case-by-case basis by state and local health officials and guided by the principle of utilizing the least restrictive measures necessary to protect the public's health," said Dr. Jeff Engel, CSTE Executive Director and infectious disease expert. "There's a crucial responsibility of states to better serve their constituencies by following this important federal guidance."

CSTE further recommends that Ebola exposure risk should be guided by an informed understanding of the routes of Ebola transmission and the exposure history of the person(s) in question, as determined by public health professionals.

The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists is an organization of states and territories representing public health epidemiologists. CSTE works to establish more effective relationships among state and other health agencies. It also provides technical advice and assistance to partner organizations and to federal public health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

SOURCE Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists

Related Links

http://www.cste.org