Response preparations for a West African Ebola case are
underway in Poweshiek County, even though no cases of Ebola have been reported
to date in Poweshiek County or the rest of Iowa.
Grinnell Regional Public Health continues to work
closely with the Iowa Department of Public
Health (IDPH), Grinnell Regional Medical Center (GRMC), Grinnell College and local
and county first-response teams.
The teams that would
respond to a potential case of Ebola report that they are trained and have
measures in place to respond safely if the need should arise.
The Ebola outbreak is widely
affecting the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. The
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued a travel warning and is
discouraging travel to these countries. Reliable information about Ebola
and public efforts to control can be found on the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/.
Many of the initial
symptoms of Ebola resemble the flu, which is common this time of year. Health
officials recommend that individuals who have not received a flu vaccine obtain
one at a local physician’s office, the public health department or local
pharmacies.
“The key point to remember is that Ebola is a very serious
illness, and we need to follow the same contact precautions as with many other
contagious illnesses, such as influenza, malaria, H1N1 and HIV,” said Michelle
Rebelsky, MD, GRMC’s medical staff epidemiologist. “Proper protection while
caring for patients who may or may not have the virus is the first step.”
“As a rural Iowa community, our overall risk is low
for an Ebola infection,” said Trisha Rooda, Poweshiek County emergency management
coordinator. “However, with our location along Interstate 80 and the two
colleges in the community, we know we need to be prepared.”
Protocols and Resources
Protocols and resources for helping individuals who
may show symptoms and have risk factors were discussed during last week’s Ebola response planning meeting in Grinnell.
Participants represented the Poweshiek County Board of Health, Emergency
Preparedness Office and Sheriff’s Office, the Deep River Fire/First responders,
the Grinnell police and fire departments,
Grinnell College, Grinnell Family Care, Grinnell Regional Medical Center,
Grinnell Regional Public Health, Mayflower Community, Midwest Ambulance Co.,
and Montezuma First Responders.
“Thankfully, our community has been discussing and
planning for a while, so we ordered and have received protective gear,” said Grinnell
Fire Chief Dan Sicard.
“First responders, like the medical clinic front
office staff, face the risk of the unknown in every encounter,” he added. “We
want to protect staff and avoid further spread of the virus. We really need
people to be honest about their risks. This means telling the 911 dispatcher if
you are a high risk. This information protects the EMTs and first responders as
they assess the situation.”
“Grinnell College is working with local, state and
national officials to monitor the situation and keep the campus safe,” said Deb
Shill, RN, director of Student Health and Counseling Services. “We have no
students abroad in the widely affected countries of Africa. We don’t
anticipate any cases of Ebola at Grinnell College, but we have screening
processes and protocols in place to help manage a case if one should arise.”
“We want individuals who have a potential
Ebola exposure risk and symptoms to call their healthcare provider before they
travel to a clinic or an emergency facility,” said Patty Hinrichs, GRPH
manager.
“At that point,” she
added, “if the individual says he or she has traveled and may have a high risk
of contracting Ebola, that person will be instructed to stay home so as not to
spread the virus. We will take the individual’s contact information and call
the Iowa Department of Public Health, which will follow up and provide the
person with instructions about where to receive evaluation and treatment.”
The healthcare protocol is to determine whether an
individual has a fever and other symptoms such as severe headache, muscle pain,
weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal/stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding
or bruising. If so, then the healthcare provider will ask whether the individual
has recently traveled to or been in contact with someone who has traveled to Guinea,
Liberia or Sierra Leone.
At the National and State Level
Screening of all travelers flying to the United States
after visiting West Africa is being conducted at five major U.S. airports. These individuals are asked
about things such as current symptoms and possible exposures to patients with
Ebola while in West Africa. Anyone who has been in contact with a sick Ebola
patient is to self-quarantine, and will be tracked for 21 days.
If needed, appropriate action is taken at that time;
for example, travelers with symptoms consistent with Ebola are not being
allowed to continue traveling until they are medically assessed. If they are
well, they are given information about what to do once they arrive at their
final destination, such as Iowa.
If, for example, that patient is traveling to
Poweshiek County, local public health officials would be notified of the
arrival of the traveler. The traveler would be re-interviewed to confirm health
status and risk of exposure to Ebola. Appropriate action would then be taken in
Iowa. This might result in the traveler staying at home and away from others
for 21 days, or requiring the traveler to take temperature readings and report the
results to public health officials for 21 days.
This will lower the risk of Ebola spreading in Iowa,
and help reassure the public that extraordinary action is being taken to
protect Iowa residents.
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