Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Nurse defying Ebola quarantine in Maine once worked for Southern Nevada Health District

Kaci Hickox

Robert F. Bukaty / AP

Nurse Kaci Hickox rides away from the home she is staying in on a rural road in Fort Kent, Maine, to take a bike ride, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014. Hickox went on an hour-long ride with her boyfriend Ted Wilbur, followed by state police who were monitoring her movements and public interactions.

Updated Friday, Oct. 31, 2014 | 10:45 a.m.

The nurse making news in Maine for defying an Ebola quarantine once worked as a fellow with the Southern Nevada Health District, officials confirmed today.

Kaci Hickox, 33, worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and was assigned to work with the Southern Nevada Health District, SNHD spokeswoman Stephanie Bethel said.

Hickox landed in Newark, N.J., on Oct. 24 after treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone and was put into a mandatory quarantine. She made headlines this week for breaking a quarantine in Maine to speak with reporters and go for a bike ride.

An alumni profile of Hickox on the University of Texas at Arlington's website confirms she pursued a two-year postgraduate fellowship in applied epidemiology with the CDC in Las Vegas. She is also listed as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer on a report on pedestrian deaths in Clark County published July 18.

The EIS is a two-year post-graduate training program offered by the CDC for health professionals interested in applied epidemiology, according to the CDC website.

Hickox worked with epidemiologists to "analyze and improve health and disease surveillance," the UT Arlington profile said.

CDC Senior Press Officer Benjamin Haynes said Hickox is not a current CDC employee.

It is unclear if Hickox completed the fellowship and when she began working with the CDC.

According to the World Health Organization, the time from Ebola infection to the appearance of symptoms is between two and 21 days. People are not infectious until they develop symptoms, according to the WHO.

Symptoms of the virus include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea and a rash.

Hickox maintains she is showing no symptoms and has tested negative for Ebola.

Maine Gov. Paul LePage vowed in a statement Thursday to use the full extent of his authority if the state cannot reach an agreement with Hickox.

The state has asked Hickox to follow in-home quarantine guidelines to avoid public places and stay at least three feet from other people.

On Friday, a Maine judge rejected the state's bid to limit her movements. Judge Charles C. LaVerdiere said that Hickox must continue daily monitoring and coordinate travel with state officials so monitoring can continue. But the judge said there's no need for further restrictions because she's not infectious.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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