“Doctor Sadler, I am considering moving back to Dallas. Is it safe for me to come home due to the Ebola outbreak in Dallas?” An innocent (yet informed) patient called me this past Monday. Gently, I reassured her that there is no Ebola “outbreak” in Dallas and that it is perfectly safe to return to the homeland.
Even my local homeowners association is flooded with misinformation that it is causing argumentative member emails.
Every day the government andCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are stepping up medical protection protocols. According to CDC director Dr. Frieden:
“For any hospital, anywhere in the country that has a confirmed case of Ebola, we will put a team on the ground within hours.” Dr. Frieden implied that there was a lapse in response to the viral containment in our city and, “…with 20/20 hindsight we could have sent a more robust infection control team and been more hands on with the hospital from day one about exactly how this should be managed.”
The CDC has now actively pursued all people with contact to Ebola patients in our area and other areas of the country especially now that airplane passengers may be at risk.
Furthermore, our local Garland Independent School District (GISD) has painstakingly cleansed certain schools where students in remote contact with the most recent Ebola patient attend. Dallas County Health and Human Services has provided communication and reporting information as well.
My own clinic has in place Ebola protocols and we are equipped with special protective gear. Patients are all verbally screened when they walk in the door and our clinic and hospital system have been educated and trained with information about the signs and symptoms of the Ebola infection.
Do we now all share a heightened concern about Ebola? Yes, because this virus has the potential to be a devastating widespread disease. In Africa scientists attribute much of the Ebola spread to its presence in crowded urban towns with poor sewage systems and lack of access to basic hygiene (New England Journal of Medicine Oct 2014) .In Dallas, the initial medical response to a single case of Ebola was delayed, but we don’t face the same sanitation challenges and we now have sufficient measures in place to contain and decrease the possibility of an Ebola outbreak here. The important news here is that everyone be responsible for their own safety and the safety of their loved ones. Use good decision making and contact your local Dallas County Health and Human Services or your medical provider if you feel you may be at risk. Follow ALL their instructions especially if isolation is needed.
*written with assistance from Zhaleh Amini-Vaughan, 3rd year medical student Texas A&M Scott and White Health Science Center