NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – A man in the New Orleans area is being monitored for signs of Ebola after returning to Louisiana from visiting an Ebola-affected country, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals said Thursday.
Olivia Watson, spokesperson for the DHH said the man is at a “low risk for Ebola,” and had no history of exposure. But out of an “abundance of caution” he will be watched for 21-day.
“We are monitoring him in the same manner as an individual in the Capital Region with temperature and symptom checks,” Watson said.
State health officials are still watching the symptoms of a Louisiana State University scientist who returned from Africa last week. He was part of a U.S. team that was instructing police officers on how to stop the spread of the deadly disease.
According to Dr. Raoult C. Ratard, MD there are no laws restricting the activities of people being monitored for Ebola. Just a strong urging to stay away from public place, “Public transportation, trains, bus. They have to commit not to get in contact with other people.”
However Ratard said people should not be scared, “People with no symptoms are not infectious so there is no need to be afraid of these people.”
There are still no confirmed cases of Ebola in Louisiana.