Ebola Virus Disease is a disease that causes fever, vomiting, diarrhea and more. It has grown quickly into an epidemic in several nations in west Africa, approaching 10,000 cases with a mortality rate around 70 percent. However, the risk of Americans contracting Ebola within the United States remains extremely low.
Tanner Health System’s Infection Prevention team has assembled the following information to help provide you with background information on the disease, the national and international response, and the plans that Tanner will implement in the unlikely occurrence that the disease be identified in west Georgia.
Please read through these trusted resources for the latest information on Ebola.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working to address the Ebola Virus Disease in west Africa and in the United States. The CDC’s site offers regular updates on the spread of the disease and the latest precautions and efforts to control it, as well as information on how the virus spreads, signs and symptoms to watch for and more.
Preparing for Ebola at Tanner
Unlikely does not mean impossible. Should a possible case of Ebola be found in west Georgia, Tanner Health System has implemented a plan to isolate the disease to help mitigate its spread and care for the sick.
This Q&A from the CDC provides important information on protecting yourself against Ebola, steps being taken to limit the spread of the disease beyond west Africa, what you can do if traveling to a region where an Ebola outbreak is occurring, background on the American citizens who have been brought back to the U.S. for treatment and more.
Atlanta is the home of the headquarters for the CDC and for Emory University Hospital, which has successfully treated several Americans who contracted Ebola during a mission trip to west Africa and which is now treating one of two Dallas-area healthcare workers who contracted the disease while caring for a patient with Ebola. The Georgia Department of Public Health is tracking the Ebola epidemic and has prepared this site to provide information on the disease.
The CDC has issued travel notices urging Americans to avoid all nonessential travel to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea due to the Ebola epidemic.
Protocols for healthcare workers responding to Ebola are evolving as new best practices are developed and shared. The CDC had cataloged some of the most relevant information for professionals — including information on collecting and transporting specimens, medical waste management, infection prevention for patients with known or suspected Ebola in clinical settings and more.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is one of many organizations tracking and working to prevent the spread of Ebola. The WHO is keeping the world updated on their efforts and findings on this site.