Encouraging compliance with quarantine: a proposal to provide job security and income replacement.

A human influenza virus is considered the most likely source of a pandemic in the near future. Quarantine has the potential to be the most effective measure for limiting the spread of infection. The major obstacles to compliance for those asked to enter quarantine include loss of income during quarantine and loss of employment after quarantine. We discuss current antidiscrimination and compensation laws, as well as options to expand coverage for quarantined individuals to encourage public cooperation by guaranteeing job security and providing income replacement.