Post on 24-Jun-2020
Ebola Virus: Planning and Protecting
Ebola History
• Ebola Virus was first identified in 1976 near the Ebola River
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Ebola is known to have
several animal hosts in
which it can survive in
Africa
• Outbreaks have
sporadically
been identified
in Africa
since that time
Current Situation
What Does Ebola Look Like?
How Do I Stay Away From Ebola?
How the Virus Spreads
• Blood
• Body Fluids such as o Urine
o Saliva
o Sweat
o Feces
o Vomit
o Breast Milk
• Broken Skin
• Mucus Membranes
such as o Eyes
o Nose
o Mouth
How the Virus Spreads
Contact is the Key…
• The likelihood of contracting Ebola is extremely low unless
a person has direct unprotected contact with the blood or
body fluids (like urine, saliva, feces, vomit, sweat, and
semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola.
United States Cases
Texas
• On September 30, 2014 a gentleman who had traveled to Texas from Western Africa was diagnosed with Ebola
• Local Public Health Officials identify all close contacts of patient for further monitoring for 21 days
• Texas patient dies on October 8, 2014
Health Care Workers
• On October 10, 2014 a nurse
who had cared for the patient
reported low grade fever and
was referred for further testing
• Subsequent testing by labs in
Texas and by CDC confirm
Ebola
Ohio Connection
Ohio
• On October 15 the Summit
County Health District is
notified that an individual
who had cared for the initial
patient from West Africa who
died had traveled by air to
Cleveland and then on to
Summit County has been
diagnosed with Ebola
• Summit County begins to
contact people known to have
contact with this individual
Pre 9-11 Management of Health Events
• Complicated by involvement of many different federal agencies
• States had a similar web of agencies to manage disasters o Each agency had its own form of an incident management system
• Interfaces between federal agencies, between states and across states were inconsistent
• Interfaces between local agencies were almost nonexistent
Now zzzzz
State Level
• There is a state alerting system for health departments that has been in place since 9/11
• Health departments are tested on a regular basis to see that we are able to respond to these alerts periodically on 24/7 basis
• On that day that the health departments were notified via this 24/7 alerting system
FEMA
FBI
DoD DoT
DoE
EPA
USDA
AIT NRL
PHHS
USAMRIID DHHS
ATSDR
NMRI
NIH
CDC
SBCCOM C/B-RRT
?
DHS
Pre 9-11 Government Response
to a Disaster
Local Plans
• All local health departments work with their medical
partners and EMA (Emergency Management Agency) to
create local response plans to address health related
situations
Behind the Scenes
• On a national basis there are various alerting symptoms
local health departments are tied into that notify the local
health departments of disease situations
Controlling at its Source
What We Are Up Against…
What Is Public Health Doing?
• Coordinating all information going to the
public
• Coordinating with Hospitals to investigate
who has been exposed and whether
quarantine or isolation of contacts is
required.
• Use “Contact Tracing” to determine how
far out the disease may spread. This
should start before the case is
“confirmed”
What Can I Do to Protect Myself?
• Follow healthy habits o Get plenty of sleep
o Exercise
o Drink plenty of fluids
o Eat healthy food
• Take everyday precautions o Wash your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.
o Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth
o Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw
the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Get your flu shot
• Keep up with the news
Where to Get
Credible Information
Local Web Pages
Ohio Department of Health
CDC
Phones
• Call your local health department when you have questions
Influenza Seasonal Flu
Influenza • Most people who get the flu usually recover in one to two
weeks, but the flu can be deadly.
• An estimated 200,000 people are hospitalized with the flu
each year in the U.S.
• On average, it is estimated that there are more
than 20,000 flu related deaths.
• Protect yourself – get your FLU SHOT!
Williams County Health District