Stanford doctor isolated on Ebola quarantine

California doctors returning from Ebola-stricken areas must be placed on a 21-day quarantine after returning to the U.S., the state Department of Public Health said Wednesday.

One Stanford University doctor was placed on a similar quarantine last week before the state’s order was issued and officials are reviewing the details of his quarantine to make sure it complies with the state’s order, San Mateo County health officials said today.

Dr. Colin Bucks is one of many health care workers who have traveled to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to help combat the Ebola epidemic here.

To help assuage fears that the Ebola virus, which is communicable only through direct contact with blood and bodily fluids, could spread in the U.S., state officials are requiring doctors to undergo a 21-day quarantine.

State officials are evaluating individuals’ experience who might have come into contact with the virus and are tailoring the quarantines on a case-by-case basis.

Upon Bucks’ return he was cooperative with state and local health officials and agreed to a voluntary quarantine. He is staying home and avoiding contact with others for the duration and is allowed limited activities outside, such as jogging alone, county health officials said.

He is communicating with county health officials daily and so far has shown no symptoms.

San Mateo County Health Officer Scott Morrow said in a statement:

“We are very proud of the work this physician has done. … Healthcare workers who take care of patients with Ebola are not only helping those affected in West Africa, but also protecting people around the world, including here in the United States, by fighting the outbreak at its source.”

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