A healthcare worker in Liberia is among those staying away from a tropical medicine conference in New Orleans this week, after the state of Louisiana warned of quarantining attendees potentially exposed to Ebola, Doctors Without Borders tells Reuters.
Amanda Tiffany, an epidemiologist with the humanitarian aid group, was one of at least 10 people blocked from attending the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene on threat of quarantine, conference officials say, adding that they oppose the policy.
“Unfortunately my colleague, Amanda Tiffany, was not allowed to travel to ASTMH due to fear of quarantine upon arrival,” says Carrie Teicher, a doctor with Doctors Without Borders who will be speaking at the conference. “She hopes these regulations get changed quickly as the stigma American and other colleagues are now facing is great.”
Those planning to attend the conference, which is ongoing through Thursday, are expected to number more than 4,000. They were warned in a letter sent last week by Louisiana’s Department of Health and Hospitals to stay away if they had been in Sierra Leone, Liberia or Guinea within the past 21 days or had been in contact with Ebola patients.
Conference organizers, calling the state’s quarantine policy “outside of the scientific understanding of Ebola transmission,” said it disagreed with Louisiana’s rules. Read the full story.
Speaking to the Baton Rouge Press Club on Monday, State Health Officer Jimmy Guidry defended the state’s stance on the conference, adding the state is prepared for an Ebola case to arise but that he doesn’t expect one.
