title: US State-Level Policy Responses to the Ebola Outbreak, 2014-2015.
abstract: The 2014-2015 Ebola epidemic in West Africa raised concerns about the potential occurrence of an Ebola outbreak in the United States. The federal government and individual states developed guidance and policies to determine how to manage individuals within the United States who may have been exposed to Ebola.
  
  
  
  A total of 139 documents describing state policies for individuals considered at risk for Ebola and the requirements, as well as restrictions these individuals may be subject to, were systematically identified and analyzed.
  
  
  
  A wide range of policy responses and variations on quarantine, movement restrictions, exposure categories, and monitoring were found. While the majority of states reflected US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, some states enacted aggressive quarantine policies and movement restrictions, developed unique categorization strategies, and established more frequent monitoring procedures.
  
  
  
  Findings may help public health practitioners and policymakers anticipate what policies could be implemented in response to future infectious disease threats. Furthermore, practitioners and policymakers should assume that some variation in response policies will occur at the state level.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Health Policy and Management (Ms Sell and Drs McGinty, Pollack, and Rutkow) and Health, Behavior and Society (Dr Smith), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland; UPMC Center for Health Security, Baltimore Maryland (Ms Sell); and United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, District of Columbia (Dr Burke).
authors.forename: Tara Kirk
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Sell
authors.forename: Emma E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: McGinty
authors.forename: Keshia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pollack
authors.forename: Katherine Clegg
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.forename: Lainie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rutkow
mesh_terms: D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. / Q000592:standards*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006291:Health Policy; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D013219:State Government; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology