STPH Prepared for Any Ebola Threat

STPH PREPARED FOR ANY POTENTIAL EBOLA THREAT

With all the news surrounding Ebola, it’s important to note there is very little risk in our community, and there are no known cases of Ebola in Louisiana despite media reports. However, in the rare event of a patient presenting with Ebola-like symptoms to St. Tammany Parish Hospital or any of our facilities, we are prepared to handle the situation.

STPH proactively initiated the appropriate practice to deal with a potential threat. We continue to collaborate with hospitals statewide, the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and the Louisiana Office of Public Health to ensure we are in state and federal compliance.

St. Tammany Parish Hospital's Emergency Department has highly trained, prepared staff and the physical infrastructure for isolation and containment. A patient presenting symptoms consistent with Ebola would be appropriately isolated and assessed to ensure the safety of all patients and healthcare providers.

First there are a few things the community needs to remember about Ebola, according to the CDC:

EBOLA IS SPREAD THROUGH DIRECT CONTACT WITH BLOOD, BODY FLUIDS

That includes urine, feces, saliva, vomit, sweat and semen from of a person who is sick with Ebola or objects, such as needles, that have been contaminated with the blood or body fluids of an Ebola patient.

Ebola is not spread through the air, water or food.

PROTECT YOURSELF  

There is no FDA-approved vaccine available for Ebola. Experimental vaccines and treatments for Ebola are under development, but they have not yet been fully tested for safety or effectiveness.

However, especially with flu season approaching, it’s important to always practice proper hygiene practices:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. 
• Do not touch the blood or body fluids, such as urine, feces, saliva, vomit, sweat and semen, of anyone who is sick.
• Do not handle items that may have come in contact with a sick person’s blood or body fluids, such as clothes, bedding, needles or medical equipment.

STPH PROCEDURE

STPH’s practice to handle a potential Ebola patient, which is in line with current best practices and recommendations set forth by the CDC, includes:

• The use of appropriate personal protective equipment and screening for travel history to an Ebola-affected area currently identified as the West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria.
• A screening that involves questioning for a history of direct contact with someone suspected or diagnosed with Ebola and/or direct contact with blood and body fluids of someone suspected or diagnosed with Ebola.
• A thorough assessment of the patient‘s signs and symptoms of Ebola:
  • fever of more than 101.5
  • headache
  • muscle pains
  • weakness
  • abdominal pain
  • hemorrhage

If a patient were to present Ebola-like symptoms at any STPH facility, they will be admitted through the Emergency Department and not as a direct admit from their home, physician office or another facility. A patient presenting with signs and symptoms compatible with Ebola who has traveled recently to the area of concern immediately will be placed in a private room with standard, contact and droplet precautions set forth by CDC recommendations. Infection Prevention will be notified immediately and will coordinate the care, transport and isolation of the patient. 

STPH is evaluating and revising processes to maintain and improve the safety in our facility as the CDC makes recommendations.