US nurse vows to fight Ebola quarantine rule

Washington: A US nurse who recently returned from treating Ebola patients in Africa is vowing to fight the state of Maine, which wants to keep her in quarantine for the 12 days that remain of the virus' incubation period.

But Maine said it will seek a court order to keep Kaci Hickox, who had worked in Sierra Leone, at her home if necessary.

"They will not allow me to leave my house and have any interaction with the public, even though I am completely healthy and symptom-free," Hickox said as her boyfriend stood beside her home in the town of Fort Kent.

Controversy is raging about measures taken by officials in some US states like New Jersey and New York to quarantine individuals returning from treating Ebola-infected patients in west Africa.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Hickox said that if the state does go to court to force her to stay isolated until November 10, she will file a challenge, NBC News reported.

"I'm not willing to stand here and let my civil rights be violated when it's not science-based," the nurse said.

President Barack Obama on Wednesday hailed "heroic" US health workers battling Ebola, seeking to reassure the public amid the controversy over quarantine measures imposed by some authorities including the Pentagon.

Speaking at the White House after meeting with returned health workers, Obama said those who volunteer on the front lines should be applauded for their service.

Hickox was kept in an isolation tent for three days after she returned to the US.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie let her go on Monday, and she was driven to Maine. But there the state imposed its own quarantine.