The mandatory quarantine rule that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie imposed Friday to combat the spread of Ebola underscores the need to keep politics out of this important public health issue. Policy decisions on Ebola should be based on science, not fear.

This is a disease Dallas knows all too well after three Ebola cases developed there. The early failure of health authorities to respond quickly and decisively helped fuel public fears of an epidemic. So we understand Christie’s desire to demonstrate resolve in protecting his state, especially after a doctor tested positive for Ebola in New York last week after returning from volunteer work in West Africa.

However, Christie’s reaction, coupled with similar measures announced by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, seem more likely to feed public hysteria than diminish it. That’s why we believe sound science is the best basis for setting policy, and why a nationwide approach is more advisable than a hodgepodge of rules crafted state by state.

Christie imposed the quarantine rule on Kaci Hickox, a nurse trained at the University of Texas at Arlington, even though she hasn’t tested positive for the virus. Hickox had to spend the weekend in a tent with a toilet and sink but no shower. Christie relaxed the rule Monday so she could be transferred to her house in Maine.

Illinois, Florida and Virginia also have announced their own rules mandating 21 days of isolation and monitoring for people who are returning from care missions in West Africa. The Obama administration says such responses could wind up discouraging future volunteer medical missions in the bid to halt the spread of a disease that has killed 4,922 out of more than 10,000 people infected.

“These individuals are heroes, and their commitment to the common man and to their country is one that should be respected,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday.

Volunteers who serve in West Africa often spend their own money and sacrifice vacation time to help fight this epidemic. Proposals to lock them up like biological criminals upon their return do nothing to further encourage their good will.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends quarantine in cases where Ebola symptoms are evident or a patient has tested positive. Otherwise, the CDC says, people without symptoms aren’t contagious. At-risk people should avoid public transport or large gatherings, but total isolation is not necessary as long as there is constant vigilance for symptoms and daily monitoring of body temperature.

West Africa is the true danger zone for this pernicious disease. Medical facilities there are overwhelmed. What West Africa most needs are hundreds more volunteer doctors and nurses — not more impediments — to confront the epidemic at its source.