Health Care Worker Quarantine for Ebola: To Eradicate the Virus or Alleviate Fear?

The 2014 Ebola outbreak originating in West Africa is a public health emergency of international concern that has drawn worldwide media attention.1 Quarantine—an action that restricts movement of individuals, with the goal to protect the public health—is a historic public health action.2 Despite our global experience with emerging infectious diseases, politicians empowered with making health policy decisions and even some scientists have created confusion, fear, and stigmatization of health care workers by inconsistent use of quarantine.