NYC doctor defends Ebola protocols

The New York City doctor who was recently cleared of Ebola said in his first public remarks that the country needed to support – not stigmatize – aid workers fighting the disease.

Dr. Craig Spencer, who was released from the hospital Tuesday, also urged the United States to refocus its attention to the source of the outbreak, now that there is no longer a case of Ebola within its borders.

“Please join me in turning our attention back to West Africa and ensuring that other medical workers and volunteers do not face stigma when they return home,” Spencer said, standing beside New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio.

He said health leaders should follow the national protocols for isolating returning healthcare workers, which are less strict that the quarantine policies enacted in some states.

“I am a living example of how those protocols work,” Spencer said.

New York, as well as New Jersey and Maine, have required self-isolation for returning health workers after Spencer tested positive on Oct. 23. His diagnosis came about a week after returning from Guinea, which spread fears across the country that other aid workers could be carrying the disease.

The Ebola case also spread fears across the city of 8.4 million when it was reported that Spencer had been in public, taking cabs, riding the subway and bowling.

Some – including New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) – had hinted that Spencer should not have been in public.

DeBlasio defended Spencer on Tuesday, arguing that he “did everything right.”

“You never discriminate against someone who’s helping others,” he said. “There is no cause for anyone to be treated with anyone but respect”

Spencer had been the only U.S. citizen still in treatment for Ebola. He is one of eight Americans who have recovered from the disease. Only one person who has died from Ebola in the U.S.

White House Ebola czar Ron Klain said in an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday that the numbers show “we know what to do with Ebola if we identify and treat it quickly.”

Still, he warned that the U.S. would see more Ebola cases.

“This is not the last one,” Klain said.