At the request of the State of Louisiana, we are sending this communication to all ASTMH Annual Meeting registrants. All questions regarding this policy should be directed to the Louisiana health department's website and toll-free number listed below.

October 28, 2014

ASTMH Conference Attendees:

This is a notification for conference attendees of the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene on November 2-6, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals to address concerns regarding the possible importation of Ebola Virus by attendees of the conference who may have been exposed in the current Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) epidemic in West African countries of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

CDC GUIDANCE:

Recently released CDC guidance directs healthcare workers that cared for patients with EVD in the last 21 days to have direct active monitoring by a public health official. CDC guidance additionally recommends that the travel of all individuals with some risk should be decided on a case by case basis. Since we would be unable to ascertain the level of risk for an individual traveler – high, some, or low - Louisiana is dependent on self-reporting.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals has instituted the following public health advisory, effective immediately.

NOTICE TO TRAVELERS:

From a medical perspective, asymptomatic individuals are not at risk of exposing others; however, the State is committed to preventing any unnecessary exposure of Ebola to the general public. As part of that commitment, we have requested that any individuals that will be traveling to Louisiana following a trip to the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone or have had contact with an EVD-infected individual remain in a self-quarantine for the 21 days following their relevant travel history. In Louisiana, we love to welcome visitors, but we must balance that hospitality with the protection of Louisiana residents and other visitors.

Target Group:

Individuals who have traveled to and returned from the countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia or Guinea in the past 21 days, or have had contact with a known EVD patient in that time period, should NOT travel to New Orleans to attend the conference.

Given that conference participants with a travel and exposure history for EVD are recommended not to participate in large group settings (such as this conference) or to utilize public transport, we see no utility in you traveling to New Orleans to simply be confined to your room.

These precautions are being taken out of 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 end the epidemic of EVD.

The situation is rapidly evolving and any additional or future notifications can be found at dhh.louisiana.gov/ebola. Any questions about this policy or notification can be directed to 1-800-256-2748.

We do hope that you will consider a future visit to New Orleans, when we can welcome you appropriately.

Sincerely,