Arkansas Department of Health Distributes Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Screening Resource

In light of new developments and extensive media coverage regarding the Ebola case in Texas, the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) wanted to distribute some helpful resources for management of potential Ebola patients.

The CDC is actively developing and updating information on their website, and the recommendations and guides on the website are very informative. The majority of outreach and attention has been directed toward hospitals and hospital preparedness to care for a severely sick individual, but we have provided the CDC’s Ebola Screening algorithm (of note, a combination of few or all of the listed symptoms in the context of a recent travel history to an involved country would warrant isolation). The immediate identification of patients at the first point of entry to your facility is a critical step in preventing transmission of this disease.

Several hospitals and clinics in Arkansas have instituted a simple preventive measure to aid in rapid identification of potentially Ebola-exposed patients that could easily be adapted to work in outpatient settings, as well. They have added a single question to their triage process: “Have you traveled anywhere outside of the country in the last 21 days?”  A ‘yes’ would prompt some additional questioning to determine if the patient has been to any of the Ebola-affected countries (Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Nigeria), but a ‘no’ answer would be very reassuring that the person likely does not have Ebola. This question would not exclude tropical diseases with long incubation periods but would exclude the majority of infectious diseases that could mimic Ebola virus disease.  We suggest starting this measure to screen patients for risk of Ebola infection.

The ADH will provide updated information as the situation evolves. Please feel free to contact our Communicable Disease Section at 501-537-8969 with any questions. After hours, please call 1-800-554-5738 for any Ebola-related concerns or to report a patient who is suspected to have Ebola virus infection or any other highly infectious disease.

Sincerely,
Dirk Haselow, MD, PhD

State Epidemiologist and Medical Director for Communicable Diseases