In the statement, county Health Director Cardra Burns said, “The purpose of this announcement is to increase awareness of the recent Ebola Virus case diagnosed in the United States. There have not been any cases of Ebola virus diagnosed in North Carolina at this time. The public can be assured that the Centers for Disease Control and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health is working closely with public health partners and healthcare providers statewide to prepare for Ebola virus infections in North Carolina.”
Extensive guidance has been provided to healthcare providers, hospitals, and laboratories on evaluation of patients with recent international travel and on the management of suspected cases.
The Division of Public Health also provides 24/7 consultation for providers with concerns about Ebola or other communicable diseases.
The Division is actively monitoring for cases using a variety of methods, including real time surveillance of hospital emergency department visits and a network of hospital-based public health epidemiologists in the state’s largest hospital systems. “The State Laboratory of Public Health has the capability to detect Ebola infection rapidly. Be aware that the Ebola infection would most likely occur in a returned traveler or household contact of a traveler from an Ebola-affected area in West Africa. Persons who have traveled from an infected area in the 21 days before illness onset; exhibiting symptoms of fever, headache, weakness, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain or hemorrhage should go to the hospital emergency department for evaluation.”
Burns said they should inform the medical staff of their recent travel history. This assures prompt care and increases containment of the disease. ”If a case occurred in North Carolina, state and local public health professionals would rapidly identify everyone who was potentially exposed and take immediate measures to prevent further spread,” she said. “Our public health professionals have extensive training and experience with this type of investigation and response.”
For more information surrounding Ebola, please contact the Halifax County Public Health System at 252-583-5021 and request to speak to the Communicable Disease Section.
