LAFD News:
How have the County’s first responders prepared for a possible Ebola epidemic?
The Los Alamos County Fire Department has been working diligently to unify efforts across Northern New Mexico to prepare for any possible Ebola cases. The Emergency Medical Services Division and the Safety division for the department has sent out the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) interim guidance for first responders and dispatchers to follow in the case of a possible outbreak.
The Fire department has also been in close contact with Los Alamos Emergency Management, Santa Fe County and City Fire departments, the Los Alamos National Laboratory Hazardous Materials team, LANL Office of Emergency Management and local hospitals. These contacts have set up communications across the northern section of the state to increase local government’s overall readiness.
The CDC has identified several key symptoms to help identify Ebola. Symptoms for the disease include a fever greater than 101. 5 degrees Fahrenheit, a severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, or unexplained bleeding. According to the CDC, Ebola is only contracted through direct, unprotected contact with blood or bodily fluids (urine, saliva, feces, vomit, and semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola or direct handling of bats or nonhuman primates from areas with Ebola outbreaks.
Ebola has a 21 day incubation period; therefore, a person can only be infected if they have had contact with an infected patient within that time period. Most patients will not see any symptoms for as long as 10 days after they have been exposed.
These symptoms mimic that of the flu and can be confusing, especially now that flu season is quickly approaching. Flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, muscle pains, headaches and fatigue. In addition, some people may experience nausea and vomiting.
There are currently 9,000 identified worldwide cases of Ebola with 4,493 deaths. The United States has had three patients with one death. In comparison, the average number of annual flu hospitalizations is over five million worldwide with an associated death rate of greater than 500,000. This meets the yearly definition of an epidemic.
Ebola could become an epidemic. The difference between a pandemic and an epidemic is the population size and locality of infection. An epidemic is a greater than normal amount of infection in a particular area or when infection occurs in an area that isn’t normally associated with a certain disease. A pandemic is when the epidemic reaches to worldwide proportions.
The County of Los Alamos has a pandemic response plan that was implemented during the H1N1 Flu pandemic. When news of a possible Ebola outbreak first surfaced two months ago, LAFD began preparations and education.
In August, the department started sending CDC notifications to first responders to prepare them for the implications and possibilities of an Ebola outbreak that might reach epidemic proportions in the U.S.. Guidance for use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and emergency response for a possible Ebola case have followed. In addition, there has been department wide on-line training conducted with first responders, to increase awareness and understanding of the disease.
Responders for LAFD also participate in yearly PPE drills through the LANL Emergency Response training program, which prepares personnel to handle pandemic, radiological, biological and multiple kinds of hazardous situations. This training, along with the CDC guidelines, has adequately prepared LAFD responders.
Leaders of the various response agencies have been in contact with other local agencies, utilizing communication and a unified response plan. For more information on the Ebola situation, go to the Center for Disease Control or New Mexico Department of Health websites:
https:////www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/
https:////nmhealth.org/about/erd/ideb/evd/
https:////www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/en/
What Happens If LAFD Identifies a Potential Ebola Patient?
If LAFD receives a patient who exhibits potential symptoms of Ebola (fever, severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain or unexplained hemorrhage) AND has been in West Africa or has been in contact with someone who might have Ebola in the last three weeks, LAFD will initiate specific isolation precautions while contacting the local health department. LAFD will also work with local city and county offices of emergency management and public health offices to formulate a regional response.
LAFD will place the patient in isolation in a designated area. Then, a system-provided checklist will be followed.
The checklist outlines what protective gear should be worn and how materials should be
disposed of safely, and what procedures should be followed to limit access to areas where the patient is treated.
The State health department makes the final decision about whether or not a patient’s blood will be tested for the Ebola virus, so their direction and determinations will help guide LAFD next steps from that point forward.
What can residents do?
If you become ill, and are experiencing flu like symptoms, have traveled to Africa or have had contact with a Ebola Patient, please call 911, follow their directions and inform the dispatcher that you may be infected.
What is LAFD doing right now as a precaution?
Frequent communication and coordinated planning is occurring state-wide across fire departments, hospitals and regional health centers. Information sharing is the key to early identification and addressing the potential of Ebola to spread in a community.
LAFD personnel will respond to each call with caution. Residents may see them in a mask and gown, with several layers of PPE, if an Ebola infection is suspected on a call.
LAFD has trained professionals in handling contagious diseases. They respond to several thousand calls per year, and often times have encountered HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and various other diseases. LAFD is prepared to respond to any threat of an Ebola outbreak in Los Alamos County, and will continue to provide the highest level services to the citizens.
