Two Denton County health officials will brief the Denton City Council on Tuesday afternoon on local response to the Ebola virus.
Denton County’s Chief Epidemiologist Juan Rodriguez and Sandi Wiggins, coordinator for the county’s Health Alert Emergency Response Team, are scheduled to present the update. The meeting is expected to begin at 2 p.m. at City Hall and will be live-streamed on the city’s website, www.cityofdenton.com.
In addition, city staff prepared a report for council members as part of the agenda packet in advance of the briefing.
State health officials have provided procedures for 911 dispatchers and Denton Fire Department paramedics are prepared to respond to any patient who may be suspected of having been exposed to Ebola, according to the report. In addition, the county’s emergency operations center is on standby.
Local hospitals and emergency rooms have received guidance for treatment practices. The city has stocked up on cleaning solution and personal protective equipment for first responders.
The briefing included the following statement:
“It is important to remember that Ebola is not spread through the air or by water (including sewer systems). Ebola is spread by direct contact with bodily fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola, objects contaminated with the virus (needles, medical equipment), or infected animals (by contact with blood or fluids or infected meat). There is no evidence that mosquitoes or other insects can transmit the Ebola virus.”
PEGGY HEINKEL-WOLFE can be reached at 940-566-6881 and via Twitter at @phwolfeDRC.
