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Page 2 — The Valley/West Point Times-News — Friday, October 17, 2014
EAMC, EAMC-Lanier Hospitals
are preparing for Ebola Virus
Ebola Virus: What
You Need to Know
By RICARDO MALDONADO, M.D.
Infectious Diseases Specialist
Infection Control Medical Director
What is Ebola Virus?
Ebola, also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is
a rare and deadly disease caused by infection with
one of the Ebola virus strains. Ebola can cause disease in humans and non-human primates (monkeys,
gorillas, and chimpanzees). Scientists now believe
that fruit bats are the natural reservoir for the virus,
and that apes and humans catch it from eating food
that bats have drooled or defecated on, or by coming
in contact with surfaces covered in infected bat droppings and then touching their eyes or mouths. Ebola
was first discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in
what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC). Since then, outbreaks have appeared sporadically in Africa. The current outbreak seems to have
started in a village in Guinea, where bat hunting is
common.
The current outbreak in West Africa, which began
in March 2014, is the largest and most complex Ebola
outbreak since the virus was first discovered. More
than 7,400 people in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone have contracted Ebola since
March, according to the World Health Organization
(WHO), making this the biggest outbreak on record.
More than 3,400 people have died. It has spread between countries, starting in Guinea and then spreading across land borders to Sierra Leone and Liberia,
by air (1 traveler only) to Nigeria, and by land (1 traveler) to Senegal.
The most severely affected countries, Guinea,
Sierra Leone and Liberia, have very weak health systems, lacking human and infrastructural resources,
having only recently emerged from long periods of
conflict and instability.
How is Ebola transmitted?
Ebola is introduced into the human population
through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals such
as chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest
antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or in the
rainforest.
Ebola then spreads through human-to-human
transmission via direct contact with body fluids
(through broken skin or mucous membranes) with
the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of
infected people, and with surfaces and materials (e.g.
bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids. Direct contact means that the fluids splash or spray
into someone else’s mouth, eyes or nose, or enter the
bloodstream through cuts or breaks in the skin or
through the mucus membranes.
Although Ebola does not cause respiratory problems, a cough from a sick person could infect someone
who has been sprayed with saliva. Droplets can generally fly about three feet, so people dealing with anyone who may be ill are told to stand at least three feet
away, preferably six. People can also contract the disease by touching infected fluids and then touching
their eyes or mouth. Unlike measles or chickenpox,
the Ebola virus does not spread through the air. And
Ebola does not invade healthy skin, so merely touching secretions does not mean an infection will follow.
The incubation period can run from two to 21
days, but it is usually eight to 10 days. The first symptoms are typically fever, aches and pains, nausea,
vomiting and diarrhea. Even after they set in, it
takes direct contact with bodily fluids to transmit
Ebola. Blood, vomit, urine and diarrhea from very
sick patients are highly infectious, but other bodily
fluids like sweat, saliva, tears, semen and breast milk
are also risky.
Healthcare workers have frequently been infected
while treating patients with suspected or confirmed
Ebola virus. This has occurred through close contact
with patients when infection control precautions are
not strictly practiced. Burial ceremonies in which individuals have direct contact with the body of the deceased person can also play a role in the transmission
of Ebola.
The virus can survive for several hours on surfaces, so any object contaminated with bodily fluids
may spread the disease. According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus can
survive for hours on dry surfaces like doorknobs and
countertops, and can survive for several days in puddles or other collections of body fluid.
Officials have emphasized that there is no risk of
transmission from people who have been exposed to
the virus but are not yet showing symptoms.
What are the symptoms of Ebola Virus?
Symptoms usually begin about eight to 10 days
after exposure to the virus, but can appear as late as
21 days after exposure. At first, it seems much like
the flu: a headache, fever, and aches and pains. Sometimes there is also a rash. Diarrhea and vomiting follow.
Then, in about half of the cases, Ebola takes a severe turn, causing victims to hemorrhage. They may
vomit blood or pass it in urine, or bleed under the
skin or from their eyes or mouths. But bleeding is not
usually what kills patients. Rather, blood vessels
deep in the body begin leaking fluid, causing blood
pressure to plummet so low that the heart, kidneys,
liver and other organs begin to fail.
Special to Times-News
Now that the Ebola
virus has come to the
United States, many
Americans are concerned about the status
of their local hospital
should a case occur.
Since our area of east
Alabama has a sizable
international community as well as major
universities (both factors that indicate a
higher than usual likelihood of international
travel), local officials
are working together to
create a plan that
would allow for optimal
containment of the
virus should it be reported here.
East Alabama Medical Center (EAMC) and
EAMC-Lanier Hospital
have formed an Ebola
preparedness committee, which consists of
emergency
medicine
and infectious disease
physicians, infection
prevention staff, members of the Emergency
Department,
Emergency Medical Services
(ambulance service), environmental services,
laboratory, administration and other critical
departments.
Jennifer Hunt, RN,
Manager of Infection
Prevention at EAMCLanier, and Brooks Bailey, RN, Manager of
Infection Prevention at
EAMC, have been
working closely together to ensure that
the two facilities’ preparedness plans mirror
each other as much as
possible.
“We are following
protocols and checklists
promoted by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC)
to ensure that we have
an effective screening
process in place at all
the areas where patients may come for
care,” says Bailey. “This
means that we are educating our staff as well
as sharing this information with our referring
physicians who send
acutely ill patients to
the hospital. All staff
members who would be
providing care to patients with Ebola will
have a refresher course
on the correct way to
use — and dispose of —
personal
protective
equipment for standard, droplet and contact precautions, which
would include gowns,
gloves, shoe covers, eye
protection and facemasks.”
Bailey adds that the
plan will also include
protocols to contain the
virus, protect other patients in the hospital
and minimize the impact on overall hospital
operations and staff.
“The key to preparedness regarding
Ebola is heightened
awareness by medical
professionals and the
public,” says Michael J.
Lisenby, M.D., vice president and chief medical
officer of the EAMC
Health System. “The
symptoms of the disease are not unlike
symptoms of illness
commonly treated in
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doctor’s offices and hospitals, especially this
time of year with flu
season upon us. A critical differentiating factor is determining the
travel and close contact
exposure risk history
from persons exhibiting
these symptoms. By
carefully following CDC
guidelines, we are perfectly capable of safely
managing
patients
under suspicion for
Ebola here at EAMC.”
For Fred Kam, M.D.,
medical director of the
Auburn
University
Medical Clinic (which is
operated by EAMC), the
threat from Ebola is not
unlike other issues for
which he and his medical and clinical staff
have had to prepare before. “With a subset of
our patient population
who travels internationally on a frequent
basis, we are always
vigilant about contagious diseases in other
parts of the world,” says
Dr. Kam. “As with
SARS
and
H1N1
viruses from a few
years ago, we have a
plan in place to address
the potential of people
who may have been exposed to Ebola and who
may present to us with
signs and symptoms
and are seeking care.
Our team is in a state of
constant readiness.”
According to Randy
Causey, director of support services at the
EAMC Health System,
the preparedness plan
for Ebola is similar to
previous efforts. “It is a
part of our overall
emergency
management
plan,”
says
Causey. “We had developed plans for dealing
with and managing infectious diseases when
we created our pandemic influenza plan.
We have a very close relationship with the Alabama Department of
Public Health and are
in constant contact with
them.”
Causey and other
EAMC officials tuned in
to the press conference
last Wednesday morning from Montgomery,
which featured Gov.
Robert Bentley, Dr.
Donald
Williamson,
state health officer, and
J. Michael Horsley,
president of the Alabama Hospital Association.
During
the
conference,
Horsley
noted Alabama’s track
record with infection
control and emergency
preparedness.
He said, “In a recent
CDC report, Alabama
was one of only two
states in the nation to
perform better than all
other states in infection
prevention in three of
the four reporting categories, so we have a
strong base to build
upon.”
Causey
gave
a
thumbs-up to that remark. “We have a plan
and dedicated leadership and staff members
who will monitor, implement and follow protocols to ensure our
patients and community are safe,” Causey
says.
Alabama K-12 cuts
deepest in country
The Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, Ala.
(AP) — A national study
says Alabama's cuts in
spending for K-12 education have been deeper
than nearly every other
state.
The Washington-based
Center for Budget and
Policy Priorities says
spending
per
pupil
dropped 17.8 percent from
fiscal 2008 to the current
fiscal year. That is second
only to Oklahoma. The
study said the amount cut
per student in Alabama
was $1,128 between fiscal
2008 and now. That is
$114 per student steeper
than any other state.
The fiscal 2008 education budget was the
largest
budget
ever
passed by the Legislature
at more than $6.7 billion.
Then the recession caused
tax collections for education to fall. The economic
recovery has allowed
some improvements, but
current budget of $5.9 billion remains below the
2008 mark.
Sentencing set today
for loud music killing
The Associated Press
JACKSONVILLE,
Fla. (AP) — A Florida
man convicted of first-degree murder for fatally
shooting a teenager in an
argument over loud
music outside a Jacksonville
convenience
store is set to be sentenced. Authorities say
47-year-old
Michael
Dunn is facing a life sen-
tence.
A 10 a.m. Friday hearing was scheduled for
Dunn, who was convicted
of first-degree murder at
a second trial in September. Prosecutors say
Dunn, who is white, fired
10 times into a sport utility vehicle carrying black
teenagers in November
2012 and killed 17-yearold Jordan Davis of Marietta, Georgia.
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Birthday List
Friday, October 17, 2014
Tez Gates
Morgan Thompson
Lucera Castro
Robin Landreth
James Morgan
Tricia McCarthy
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Amy Burton
Heather Cooper
Wendi Knight
Antwanisha Mayfield
Tommy Weldon
Corey Norrell
Melissa Tittle
Brian Philpott
Faith Pruitt
Grace Pirkle
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Beverly Lisle
Francine Marshall
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