Patient Information regarding Ebola virus disease

Please read and review the below information regarding the Ebola Virus. The basic message for now from state and federal authorities is to be “aware, be informed, be calm, and be clean.”

1. Best defense for any viral infection, up to and including Ebola, is “hand washing.” 2. Ebola is at a very low risk in Oklahoma. 3. Concern is highest for Individuals that report that they are unwell and have visited an affected area in the past 21 days AND report a fever of >38°C (101.5°F) or fever within the past 24 hours; they will be advised not to come to the clinic based upon these responses. 4. If this occurs, we will transfer the phone call to the registered nurse for triage instructions. The primary care clinician is responsible for ensuring they are referred appropriately to the closest Emergency Department prepared to handle possible Ebola patients. 5. Procedures are in place to address the potential concern of a patient who presents to primary care at either of our clinics in person that will provide the maximum protection possible to the clinic, staff, and our patients.

Let’s stay informed and remain alert during this time to ensure we are all doing our best to maintain good health, common sense, and an awareness of the public health situation in our surrounding communities on a periodic basis.

Additional up to the minutes announcements found at the OSDH and CDC at the following links below:

Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH): http://www.ok.gov/health/Organization/Office_of_Communications/News_Releases/Situation_Updates/Surveillance_and_Preparedness_for_Ebola_Virus_Disease/

CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/index.html


Patient information: Ebola (The Basics)

What is Ebola? — Ebola is an infection that causes fever, body aches, diarrhea, and sometimes bleeding. Ebola is a very serious infection that spreads easily and often leads to death. It is caused by a virus.

Ebola has occurred in Central and West Africa. In 2014, there has been a big outbreak of Ebola in parts of West Africa. The countries that have been affected include: ●Guinea ●Liberia ●Sierra Leone ●Nigeria

What are the symptoms of Ebola? — At first the symptoms are like those of the flu, but they can get much worse. The infection often leads to death.

At first the symptoms include: ●Sudden fever, chills, and feeling sick ●Weakness ●Loss of appetite ●Severe headache ●Body and back aches

A few days after the first symptoms start, other symptoms can develop, including: ●Watery diarrhea ●Nausea and vomiting ●Belly pain ●Rash — Some people get a rash of raised, red bumps, usually on the face, neck, trunk, and arms. The areas with rash can sometimes shed their skin. ●Bleeding or bruising — This doesn’t happen to everyone. If it does happen, it can show up as tiny purple spots (where blood vessels have burst) or oozing blood from the mouth, nose, eyes, or anywhere that the skin has been broken.

Should I see a doctor or nurse? — If you have a fever with aches and live in Central or West Africa, or visited there in the 3 weeks before you got sick, see your doctor or nurse. If you have fever and aches and have had contact with someone else known to have Ebola, or who is ill after recent travel to Central or West Africa, you should also seek medical attention.

If you are not severely ill, call ahead to make sure the clinic or hospital will be ready to receive you. That way the staff can keep you from possibly spreading the virus to other people.

If you are severely ill, go to the clinic or hospital right away. Let the staff know as soon as you arrive that you might have Ebola. The staff will ask you to wait somewhere where you are less likely to spread your infection.

Your doctor or nurse will do an exam and ask about your symptoms, where you live, and what type of contact you have had with people (or animals) who might be sick.

Is there a test for Ebola? — Yes, there is a test that can be done on blood or other body fluids.

How is Ebola treated? — If you have Ebola, you might be treated in the hospital, possibly in the intensive care unit (also called the “ICU”). There is no cure for the infection, but the doctors and nurses in the hospital can help support your body while it fights the infection, and make you as comfortable as possible. You might need to get fluids through a tube that goes into a vein (called an “IV”). You might also need medicines to help support your blood pressure and/or blood products to help your blood to clot properly.

Can Ebola be prevented? — If you are in Central or West Africa, you can reduce your chances of getting Ebola by staying away from people who have Ebola or who have had contact with Ebola victims. The disease spreads easily between people. The virus travels in body fluids, so any kind of contact is risky. If you must be around people who are sick with Ebola, you should: ●Avoid touching anyone who is sick with Ebola ●Wash your hands often with alcohol-based hand rub ●If your hands are visibly dirty, wash them with soap and water ●If possible, wear gloves and personal protective equipment (a mask, a face shield or eye goggles, and a special suit or gown that will protect your body) if you are near someone with Ebola

Do not touch the body of a person who died from Ebola. The bodies of people who have died from Ebola must be handled using protective clothing and gloves, and the bodies should be buried as soon as possible after death. You should let specially trained people bury the bodies of those who died (or might have died) from Ebola.

If you are in areas where Ebola is present, you should avoid contact with bats and monkeys and other nonhuman primates (such as chimpanzees or gorillas), and blood, fluids, or raw meat from these animals.

These animals can also spread Ebola to people.

All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete.

This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Oct 08, 2014.

Written by the doctors and editors at UpToDate