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WPRO News and the Associated Press
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – Rhode Island health officials are asking local members of West African communities to monitor their relatives who are returning from Ebola-affected countries.
The Department of Health holds weekly meetings to share information about Ebola and answer questions. Attendees at Wednesday’s meeting asked whether people who had been to West Africa recently should be taken straight to the hospital or quarantined in a facility when they arrive in Rhode Island.
Health officials say neither option is practical.
Executive health director Ana Novais stressed that just because someone had been to West Africa, it does not mean they are an Ebola patient. She said their relatives should monitor them by checking their temperature daily and calling the doctor immediately if symptoms develop.
Liberian nurse Nellie Francis Sirleaf-Savice said she worried they wouldn’t.
