Health authorities and the United Nations have criticized the latest measures taken by some US states to impose mandatory quarantines on health workers returning home from treating Ebola victims in West Africa, calling them extreme. The top health official dealing with Washington's response to Ebola warned against ostracizing doctors and nurses who travel to West Africa to combat the disease. The Ebola outbreak has resulted in nearly 5,000 deaths since March, primarily in West Africa, but the nine cases in the United States have raised concerns. Despite federal advice, states like New York and New Jersey have implemented their own strict controls. The United Nations strongly condemned the new restrictions placed on health workers returning from Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone, emphasizing the need to support those who develop infections rather than stigmatize them. American soldiers returning from West Africa are also being isolated, even if they show no symptoms or have not been exposed to the virus. The Army stated that the monitoring period is to ensure the health and safety of soldiers, family members, and surrounding communities. The Army has placed around twelve soldiers in isolation upon their return to their home base in Vicenza, Italy over the weekend. This group includes Major General Darryl Williams, the commander of U.S. Army Africa, who led the military's initial response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Williams explained in a telephone interview with Reuters that the isolated soldiers are staying in a separate area on the base and will have no contact with the general population or their families. The US military has emphasized that their personnel are not working directly with Ebola patients but are instead constructing treatment units to support health authorities in combating the epidemic. According to Dr. Jeff Duchin, Washington State epidemiologist and chairman of the public health committee of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, up to 4,000 U.S. troops may be deployed on the mission. The decision to deploy troops goes against established military protocols and contradicts President Barack Obama's administration's stance on precautionary quarantines for healthcare workers returning from Ebola-affected countries. US federal health officials have revised guidelines for returning doctors and nurses, with Dr. Thomas Frieden of the CDC calling for isolation of those at highest risk for Ebola, but most medical workers will only require daily monitoring without isolation. Frieden emphasized that the CDC's decisions are based on science and experience. Frieden stated that guidelines and recommendations will be adjusted as science and experience evolve. The new guidelines from the Obama administration are not required, allowing states to implement stricter policies if desired. Australia recently implemented a ban on visas from Ebola-affected countries in West Africa to prevent the disease from entering the country. Despite criticism from experts and advocates, the ban was seen as a necessary safety precaution by the government. Medical professionals emphasize that Ebola is not easily transmitted and is not airborne. Mandatory quarantines have been condemned by various organizations as hindering efforts to combat the disease in West Africa. Anthony Banbury of the UN stated that health workers returning home should be celebrated as heroes.