US curbs on travelers exposed to deadly viruses may infringe rights and deter volunteers | US news

The United States is imposing strict restrictions on American travelers exposed to a dual outbreak of Ebola and hantavirus in ways that experts say could run afoul of their legal rights and affect who volunteers globally in future public health crises.

The latest restrictions underscore officials’ previous rhetoric about public health measures and now attempts to contain outbreaks, including the White House’s reported opposition to Americans returning home.

The US is not bringing home an American doctor who fell ill with Ebola and six others who were exposed to the virus. The patients and others were instead transferred to Germany and the Czech Republic, officials said Wednesday.

Alexandra Phelan, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said it was “unlikely” that there wouldn’t be more cases of U.S. citizens and residents wanting to return from Ebola-affected areas and that “it would be very concerning if Americans were not able to do so.” He said the unofficial policy could significantly dampen the response of volunteers providing critical assistance to the area.

“There is a very high probability that this outbreak will become much more serious and the need for international support will be quite significant,” Phelan said.

The move follows mandatory quarantine measures in Nebraska for passengers of the MV Hondius who were exposed to the Andes virus, a type of hantavirus, although some passengers requested home quarantine.

The American Ebola patient was hospitalized in Germany in stable condition, while other U.S. citizens were headed to Germany or the Czech Republic, Satish Pillai, Ebola response leader at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told reporters Wednesday. “Those individuals who remain asymptomatic are relocated to ensure they have access to specialized care if needed,” he said.

When asked why these locations were chosen, Pillai said that instead of evacuating Americans from their homes as in previous outbreaks, these were the “quickest” options in a rapidly changing situation with “the need to act quickly,” adding that “these locations were chosen based on the needs that existed at the time.” The Czech Republic, in particular, is not known for its experience in treating viral hemorrhagic fever, but Pillai said they have an existing relationship with the U.S. State Department and the Strategic Preparedness and Response Administration.

Trump during the 2014-15 pandemic outspoken Calls about Ebola are frequently posted on social media to inform Americans who have Ebola or have been exposed to the virus. came back. He said people who volunteered to help with Ebola outbreaks “must face the consequences” in question In August 2014.

In this outbreak, the White House opposed bringing at-risk Americans home. reporting By Washington Post. Pillai did not confirm at Wednesday’s press conference that the White House had made the decision, instead pointing to “conditions on the ground” and the “need to act quickly.”

But Phelan said the law regarding being able to return home was “really simple.” US citizens and green card holders have the legal right to return to the US. It is clear that the decision on travel restrictions issued on Monday does not apply to US citizens. Phelan added that the United States has some of the best biocontainment facilities, medical care and treatment options in the world. “Millions of dollars were poured into these facilities for exactly this situation.”

Doubt about whether healthcare workers and other outbreak responders will return to the U.S. could mean fewer Americans volunteering to help stop the outbreak, Phelan said.

“Further indications that Americans are being prevented from returning home in some way, shape or form will serve to inhibit support that is absolutely vital to the international response to this growing crisis.” Phelan added.

Doctor Craig Spencer, who caught Ebola after working as a volunteer in Guinea in 2014 and was attacked online by Trump, said the following in a speech: report Four years later, he said, it was already hard to find nurses and doctors willing to take the time to volunteer, and the possibility of not returning home would mean fewer people would be able to help, the epidemic would continue, and risks would increase for everyone with a less controlled outbreak: “a pure disaster,” Spencer said.

When asked whether this policy would deter volunteers, Pillai pointed to existing organizations in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda that already “play an integral role in providing health support.”

When cruise ship passengers who contracted hantavirus were sent back to the United States, officials at first rejected the idea of ​​mandating quarantine.

But now they are requesting that some passengers remain at a Nebraska biocontainment facility through the end of the month, even as some passengers try to leave and quarantine at home.

“It was decided among U.S. government leaders that the travelers would remain in Nebraska until May 31, which is the 21st day of their monitoring period,” David Fitter, the CDC’s hantavirus lead, told reporters Tuesday. “We are constantly looking at the situation and assessing where things are.”

The decision reportedly came from Jay Bhattacharya, who is performing some of the duties of the CDC director until the nominee is confirmed by the Senate. Angela Perryman, 47, who chatted with a traveler who later died of the Andean virus. said He tested negative and had no symptoms and wanted to quarantine at an AirBnb in South Florida, the New York Times reported. Another passenger, a 30-year-old man, in question He wants to be quarantined in New York state.

Bhattacharya rose to prominence by opposing public health measures during the Covid pandemic, which he loosely referred to as “lockdowns”. in 2023 criticized the U.S. Air Force Academy for quarantining students; The two students then killed themselves. Bhattacharya pointed out the “harms of social isolation” and said the situation was “tragic”.

“Any public health measures implemented must be based on reasonable scientific evidence or principles and must be proportionate and necessary to achieve the public health outcome,” Phelan said.

He added that the guiding concept in global health law is the application of “the least restrictive measure necessary to achieve the public health outcome.” If a measure is more restrictive than necessary, it is a violation of personal rights.

Most people want to follow quarantine instructions, but they may be more comfortable in their own homes, where a long quarantine period may be more bearable. In public health, “the preference is to use voluntary home quarantine as the least restrictive option available,” Phelan said.

“I could see a reasonable judge reaching that conclusion,” he said, when passengers who showed no symptoms and were able to return home safely tested negative.

There is an earlier case for comparison, dating back to the Ebola outbreak in 2014. When Kaci Hickox, a nurse who treated patients in West Africa, returned to the United States, the CDC did not require that she be quarantined in a facility. However, then-New Jersey governor Chris Christie attempted to mandate a quarantine, but that attempt was eventually rejected by the courts.