Ebola Case Confirmed in Texas; U of A Monitoring

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Pat Walker Health Center at the University of Arkansas continues to work closely with the Arkansas Department of Health to monitor developments regarding the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa.

On Sept. 30, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first Ebola case diagnosed in the United States as a person who traveled from Liberia to Dallas, Texas. There are still no active or suspected cases of the Ebola virus disease in Arkansas.

Students and others who have recently traveled to Dallas should not be concerned. The Centers for Disease Control report that the virus is not spread through the air. A healthy person must come into direct contact with bodily fluids of a sick person to become infected, or be exposed to objects such as needles that have been contaminated.

The CDC and public health officials in Texas are taking precautions to identify people who have had close personal contact with the ill person, the majority of whom are family members. Health care professionals have been reminded to use meticulous infection control at all times.

Testing for Ebola is only performed if a person is experiencing symptoms of the disease, which include fever, severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain or lack of appetite. An Ebola vaccine is not available.

The CDC has been anticipating and preparing for a case of Ebola in the United States due to the outbreak in West Africa. Preparations include enhancing surveillance and laboratory testing capacity in states to detect cases, developing guidance and tools for health departments to conduct public health investigations, providing recommendations for health care infection control and other measures to prevent disease spread, providing guidance for flight crews, emergency medical service units at airports, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers about reporting ill travelers to the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC is also disseminating up-to-date information to the general public, international travelers, and public health partners.

For more information about the disease and what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are doing, visit the agency’s website at www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola.