Ebola nurse Kaci Hickox questions Canada's West Africa travel clampdown

Kaci Hickox defied quarantine orders in the U.S. after returning from Ebola-affected Sierra Leone. (Robert F. Bukaty/The Associated Press)

The Canadian Press
The woman who became known as the Ebola nurse as she defied quarantine orders in the United States has a few words for the Canadian government.

Kaci Hickox believes the quarantine orders that were issued for her after she returned from Ebola-affected Sierra Leone had more to do with politics during U.S. midterm elections than with health concerns.

And Hickox questions the motives behind Canada's clampdown on travel from parts of West Africa.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Hickox says she had "this terrible gut reaction" to the Canadian move.


She describes it as discriminating against entire countries, and groups of people who need help, support and compassion more than ever.

Hickox says it's "quite shameful, actually."

The Canadian government points out that its policy allows for some exceptions on a case-by-case basis, and because it doesn't apply to people with Canadian passports it doesn't affect health workers heading to Africa.