Elizabeth Murray

Free Press Staff Writer

A Vermont man began living under voluntary quarantine Monday upon returning from West Africa, Gov. Peter Shumlin announced at a news conference on Tuesday.

The measure is a precaution as the man has exhibited no symptoms of Ebola.

"There is extremely low risk, in my judgment, of this individual contracting Ebola," Shumlin said. "However we're going to take every precaution to keep the public safe and to act in this individual's best interest."

The man is a Rutland resident, city Mayor Christopher Louras wrote in a statement, which he posted on his Facebook page about 30 minutes after the conference.

Shumlin said the quarantine is taking place in Vermont but outside a health care facility. The man is housed in a "safe, rural setting" with a law enforcement presence. He will be monitored for 21 days, the governor said.

Acting Health Commissioner Tracy Dolan also spoke at the event. She said that health care workers are not using protective gear in caring for the man and have not received specialized training.

Shumlin declined to specify what kind of law enforcement was present, but he said the expenses were being covered by the state.

The governor also declined to identify the patient or his location. However, he said local law enforcement and community leaders have been notified. Louras, the Rutland mayor, said he worked with the state to find "a safe, secure location" for the man.

"This individual was in Guinea and Sierra Leone with the stated intention of investigating the Ebola epidemic in those two countries," Shumlin said at the news conference. He added that the man had no known contact with Ebola patients during his month in West Africa.

State Epidemiologist for Infectious Disease Patsy Kelso said officials do not know exactly where the man went on his trip or what he did.

According to Shumlin, the man represented himself in public statements as a physician, but he is not licensed as a doctor or health professional in Vermont. The man was unaffiliated with any governmental, public health, medical or aid organization.

Shumlin, along with Kelso and Dolan, held the news conference at the Vermont Department of Health in Burlington, in the building's emergency command center. Health Department spokesman Robert Stirewaltsaid after the meeting that the command center has been in use for the last two to three weeks as the department prepared for the possibility of an Ebola patient.

Shumlin said the news conference was held to inform Vermonters and remain transparent about Ebola concerns.

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Case-by-case assessment

The man's friends and family alerted state authorities of his arrival in the U.S., Shumlin said.

The Rutland man entered the country through John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, N.Y., on Monday, and he was screened upon arrival, the governor said. He did not display symptoms of Ebola and was released.

Members of Vermont law enforcement and public health workers met him at the airport to escort him back into the state, Shumlin said.

When asked by a reporter if members of the FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection were involved,Shumlin said, "When you have a concern like this, everybody gets involved."

Phone calls to FBI representatives were not immediately returned Tuesday evening.

Kelso said the health department will be calling the man twice per day to check in, and each phone call will be followed with a visit by two health care workers to take the man's temperature and provide him with food.

Kelso said that local health care providers and staff at Fletcher Allen Health Care are aware of the man's current status.

She added that individuals in the beginning stages of the virus are less contagious.

If the man were to start exhibiting symptoms, Shumlin said Fletcher Allen Health Care is equipped to treat Ebola patients. The hospital announced at a panel earlier in the day that more than 200 staff members had received training in Ebola-related protocol.

According to USAToday, those coming from countries affected by Ebola are funneled through five airports — JFK Airport; Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey; Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia; Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia; and Chicago O'Hare International Airport in Illinois. Flight passengers are screened upon landing, and they are retained and treated if needed.

Commissioner Dolan said there is no specific policy in Vermont for dealing with people who have been to West Africa and may have been exposed to Ebola. If the Rutland man had displayed a fever, he would have stayed in New York for treatment, she said.

Dolan said Vermont is currently following guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The protocol for individuals who do not display Ebola symptoms but are returning from countries where the virus is widespread will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

"We would look at the unique conditions in that situation and apply our best information along with the CDC guidance," Dolan said later Tuesday afternoon.

In the case of the Rutland man, Dolan added that a quarantine was advised because the man was not associated with an organization known to have protective protocols in place.

"He didn't have the benefit of that information, and he didn't have the benefit of that protective equipment."

Contact Elizabeth Murray at 651-4835 or emurray@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/LizMurraySMC.



