Man quarantines himself, family after trip to Liberia

PHOENIX — An Arizona man who spent about two weeks in Liberia on a religious mission has quarantined himself and his family inside their Payson home, even though he is showing no signs of the Ebola virus.

Allen Mann returned to the U.S. on Sunday. He was checked for a fever — as are all passengers — before leaving Liberia, the African country being hit the hardest by the Ebola outbreak, and he said he is now checking his temperature twice daily. Fever is one of the first signs of Ebola.

The self-imposed quarantine and twice-daily checks are just two of the precautions Mann has taken before and after his trip with CrossWay International to distribute sanitation supplies and preach the gospel.

"Everyone dies, but it's different how everyone goes," he said. "I couldn't have people die and not know about eternal life."

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The virus, known as a hemorrhagic fever, is transmitted through touching the bodily fluids of a person who is sick or has died of Ebola, from touching contaminated objects like needles, or from touching the bodily fluids of infected animals, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is not spread through the air.

While he was in Liberia, Mann was careful not to touch others. He washed his hands before entering any building. He used heavy duty hand sanitizer that left his hands extremely chapped. His wife, Sheree, wrote on his blog that he left all his clothes behind and changed into fresh clothing after he had showered at an airport in Belgium. He also continued to wipe down everything on the plane before and after his flight.

When Mann arrived in Phoenix, his wife sanitized all his belongings by hand. Mann had no immediate contact with his family until after he showered at home.

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Mann said he checked in with a Payson doctor soon after arriving and takes his temperature twice a day. He said he marked up his house with no-trespassing signs and hasn't allowed his children to interact with anybody in the area.

The family, he said, has decided to stay indoors for the next several days while they monitor him for any signs of the virus.

On Sept. 11, the CDC began warning against non-essential travel to Liberia, where limited public-health infrastructure has contributed to more than 1,800 deaths and 3,458 cases. Ebola has spread through several Liberian counties, including the capital, Monrovia, according to the CDC. As of Sept. 29, there were 6,574 total cases of Ebola and 3,091 deaths in West African countries, including Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone, according to the CDC.

Mann stayed in a small rural area near Monrovia. He said the region wasn't asbadly in need as other areas in Liberia. Mann occasionally saw an ambulance go by but never witnessed anyone sick.

"The children were singing songs they were taught about not touching certain things," he said.

“Everyone dies, but it's different how everyone goes. I couldn't have people die and not know about eternal life.”

Allen Mann, missionary to Liberia

Mann said it was more of a healthy fear. The children there were even taught songs that reminded them not to touch certain things. A couple of times at his mission location,he saw a few people and heard people blaming others, but it was a small minority.

Although it is a risk to visit any of the West African countries involved in the Ebola outbreak, it is equally important what that person was doing in the country and whether he or she may havebeen exposed to sick people, said Rebecca Sunenshine, medical director for disease control at the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.

"We are not asking people to quarantine themselves for 21 days," Sunenshine said. "We are asking people to be mindful of the symptoms and, in the case they develop symptoms, to call a health-care provider and get checked out."

Liberia has closed all borders except its major entry points, including Roberts International Airport and James Spriggs Payne Airport, where the government has begun "prevention and screening measures."

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The Arizona Department of Health Services is working closely with Maricopa County health officials, PhoenixSky Harbor International Airport, law enforcement and doctors and nurses throughout the state as part of a health-alert network to provide authorities with the information they need to identify possible cases of Ebola, said Jessica Rigler, chief for the Bureau of Epidemiology and Disease Control at ADHS.

Part of the alert network's outreach includes teaching doctors and health-care practitioners to ask about a patient's travel history and to identify the signs and symptoms of Ebola, which can include fever, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea and vomiting, Rigler said.

Julie Rodriguez, public-information manager for Sky Harbor, said the Phoenix Fire Department would provide initial response and would be in contact with public health officials if an individual suspected of having Ebola was toland in Phoenix.

"We do not have direct flights from West Africa," she said. "Passengers who arrive from areas at high risk for Ebola would connect through another airport before coming to Phoenix Sky Harbor. It would be at those airports that potential cases would be addressed."