State reminds Delaware health care providers on Ebola precautions

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The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH)  reported Monday it is  monitoring the situation with the second confirmed Ebola case in Texas and reminding health care providers on precautions that should be in place.

According to the Centers for Disease Control,  a Texas hospital nurse was infected as a result of a break in hospital disease containment protocol during treatment of  Thomas Eric Duncan, the first Ebola case diagnosed in the U.S. and the first death from the disease.

The CDC has clear recommendations on infection control, appropriate personal protective equipment, quarantine, and decontamination which DPH has shared with all local hospitals and EMS agencies.

The Delaware health division  is working with local hospitals and EMS agencies to ensure they are aware of the CDC’s recommendations. DPH is also sharing information with other medical providers and institutions on how to screen for and prevent the transmission of infectious diseases like Ebola.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted by this terrible disease,” said Dr. Karyl Rattay, DPH Director. “Ebola is a very rare illness and the conditions must be just right for its transmission. A core public health mission is preventing the spread of infectious disease and DPH is constantly working to prevent, plan and prepare for many illnesses.”

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Ebola is a very difficult disease to get and may only be transmitted if a person comes in direct contact with the bodily fluids of someone suffering from the symptoms of the Ebola disease, according to the Delaware release.  The incubation period, the time in which a person exposed to someone with Ebola will develop the disease, is two to 21 days. There are two people receiving hospital treatment in the U.S. for Ebola, one in Nebraska and the Texas hospital worker. No other states have confirmed cases.

The Division of Public Health is working with local hospitals and EMS agencies to ensure they are aware of the CDC’s recommendations on how to control infection with appropriate personal protective equipment, quarantine and decontamination. DPH is also sharing information with other medical providers and institutions on how to screen for and prevent the transmission of infectious diseases like Ebola. For further guidance, visit the Delaware Health Alert Network website at dhss.delaware.gov/dph/php/alertshan2014.html.

The Division of Public Health  also took note of the beginning of cold and flu season in Delaware and common precautions that include:

  • Washing  hands with soap frequently or use alcohol-based hand sanitizers, especially after you cough, sneeze or touch your face.
  • Covering  coughs and sneezes with a tissue and dispose of the tissue immediately. If a tissue is not available, cough or sneeze into your inner elbow. Droplets from a sneeze can travel up to six feet.
  • Staying  home when sick and do not return to work until 24 hours after a fever is gone.
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