Ebola fears interfere with the scientific world first meeting on tropical diseases. Today, Louisiana officials state health asked someone who has traveled to Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea in the last 21 days, or treated Ebola patients also stay away from the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), which begins Sunday in New Orleans.
ASTMH not known exactly how many scientists will be affected, but there are several, said the new president Christopher Plowe, including representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "They are very disappointed," said Plowe, a malaria researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. ASTMH sent all registrants answering email today containing a letter from Kathy Kliebert, secretary of department Louisiana health and hospitals, and Kevin Davis, director of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, which describes the position of the State. ASTMH referred enrolled in the health department of the State for more information.
"Since the conference participants with a travel history and exposure to [Ebola] are recommended not to participate in large groups (such as conference) or use public transportation, we see no utility in travel to new Orleans simply limited to your room, "said the letter.
new policy from Louisiana goes further than the CDC guidelines; It is the latest example, after New York and New Jersey, the state decided to impose restrictions that many scientists say little sense.
"I'm very angry. And that's an understatement," says Piero Olliaro, an expert in the WHO Tropical Diseases and visiting professor at Oxford University in the UK, who learned this afternoon that he can not get to New Orleans. Olliaro Guinea back on October 22, where he had been scouting for the sites to conduct clinical trials of drug candidates Ebola. When ASTMH meeting was scheduled to co-chair a session, give two lectures, and present six posters. he says he is struggling to find people to replace.
"This policy is fundamentally flawed and not based on evidence," says Daniel Bausch, a researcher at the School of public health from Tulane University and tropical medicine in New Orleans, which is the organizer of one of two specialized symposia Ebola at the meeting. "It is very regrettable and could be cons-productive by preventing health workers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to share experiences and findings in one of the most important meetings of the tropical disease globally, "adds Peter Hotez, dean of the national School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
Plowe said he made phone calls to state officials late into the night, the last day to obtain clarity on the Louisiana policy in the Ebola time for the meeting this year. "The last thing we wanted was for people to travel to New Orleans only to find that they will be quarantined for 21 days," he said. Louisiana has the right to make its own policies, Plowe said: "That's the way it is, we have to live with.". ASTMH but believes that the best way to protect Americans is to fight against Ebola in West Africa, he adds, and steer clear of health workers who are not involved in patient care " does not contribute to it, and finally puts them at higher risk Americans, "he said.
Just how to limit the spread of the Ebola virus in the United States became the subject of intense political debate in the midst of an election season. in the complex new interim guidelines of CDC published yesterday , people who have traveled to countries with widespread Ebola transmission, but are not not come into direct contact with patients, are in the "low (but not zero) risk" category; the same is true for those patients treated with Ebola by using personal protective equipment (PPE) in countries have seen a few cases, such as the US, Germany or Spain. As long as they have no symptoms, they can move freely, and there is no reason to prevent the rallies, said CDC.
People who have treated patients Ebola by using protective equipment in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia or fall into the category "some risk" for which "surveillance direct "is recommended, including daily temperature measurements by health officials, in addition, the local authorities' active may consider additional restrictions," said CDC. (The definitions of the different categories of risk here .)
This gives the government a considerable margin, and some have decided to take a strict position. In their letter, Kliebert and Davis say that the state would not be able to determine the level of risk in particular for any traveler; instead, we should rely on self-reporting. To err on the side of caution, Louisiana same request of people who fall into "low (but not zero) risk" category of the CDC to stay away. "In Louisiana, we like to welcome visitors, but we must find a balance that hospitality protection Louisiana residents and other visitors, "said the letter.
Kliebert and Davis seem to recognize that the prohibition is not much scientific sense, however. "From the medical point of view, asymptomatic individuals are not risk exposing others," they write. "These precautions are taken from an abundance of caution for the current situation, and certainly do not reflect a lack of appreciation for your service and sacrifice in efforts to treat and stop the [Ebola] epidemic.
"in an abundance of caution ... I came to hate that term," said Bausch. "it means based on evidence, it is not, there is no science to support it, but we'll do it anyway "
Olliaro said he did not treat patients in Guinea, but walked around Ebola treatment units in a protective suit, which would probably put it in CDC "category .. a little risk" in the UK, however, it is supposed to monitor themselves, their travel is not limited and can go to meetings.
session Bausch at the ASTMH meeting will be a broad overview of the state of the epidemic Bausch time both traveled to West Africa itself, but not in the last 21 days. he is not sure if anyone in his panel. Another session at the meeting will be focus on new drugs and vaccines . ASTMH said it will refund conference fees for registrants who decide to cancel their trip due to the Ebola Policy Louisiana.
"We hope that you will consider another visit to New Orleans," Kliebert and Davis say at the end of their letter, "when we can welcome you properly."
* Ebola files: Given the current Ebola epidemic, unprecedented in terms of the number of people killed and the rapid geographic spread, science and science Translational Medicine made a collection of research articles and news on the viral disease available for researchers and the general public.
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