RI Department of Health Releases Ebola Update
Friday, October 24, 2014
The Rhode Island Department of Health has released an update on precautions being taken to prevent an Ebola outbreak in Rhode Island.
Monitoring travelers
On October 17th the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) started conducted daily post-arrival monitoring of travelers to Rhode Island whose travel originated in Liberia, Sierra Leone, or Guinea.
Travelers from these countries are arriving in the United States through one of five airports. Seven individuals are currently being monitored in Rhode Island.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTMonitoring will continue for the 21 days after individuals’ last possible exposure to Ebola. (Twenty-one days is the longest time it can take from the time a person is infected with Ebola until that person has symptoms of Ebola.)
The following information is being monitored daily:
Temperature;
The presence or absence of other Ebola symptoms, such as headache, joint and muscle aches, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, lack of appetite, or abnormal bleeding;
Additional travel plans
Call-in Panel
HEALTH and WJAR NBC 10 partnered on an Ebola call-in panel on October 23rd from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Rhode Islanders called in and asked doctors questions about Ebola. Michael Fine, M.D., Director of Health, and three other physicians from HEALTH sat on the panel.
Lights for Africa – Candle Light Vigil
Lights for Africa, a candle light vigil, will take place on October 29th from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Rhode Island Statehouse. The vigil is being organized by the Ebola-Be-Gone campaign. More information is available here.
Additional Rhode Island Resources
Calendar of other community events related to Ebola
Information about Ebola
National Updates
The CDC provides updates on its 2014 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa webpage.
Key Messages for Rhode Island
To date, no one has become infected with Ebola within the state of Rhode Island. Since August 2014, the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) Division of Infectious Disease & Epidemiology has investigated a number of healthcare providers’ reports of possible Ebola cases, and through consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), screening, and testing, HEALTH has ruled out all patients as cases.
In Rhode Island, only people who have been in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone in the past three weeks are at risk of developing Ebola. Even if someone has relatives in Guinea, Liberia, or Sierra Leone, they are NOT at risk for developing Ebola if they have not traveled to one of these countries in the past three weeks.
The Ebola outbreaks in Senegal and Nigeria are now considered over.
There is specific guidance available for people coming here from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone about monitoring their temperatures.
People are not contagious until they show symptoms.
You CAN'T get Ebola through:
- Casual contact with someone who has no symptoms of the disease
- Air
- Water
- Food in the U.S.
The Ebola outbreak is an evolving process. Healthcare workers, the CDC, and others are learning how best to respond. We are expanding our response to meet the needs. There will be changes and adjustments as we go.
Contacting the Rhode Island Department of Health about Ebola
The general public: 401-222-8022
Healthcare providers: 401-222-2577; 401-272-5952 (after hours)
Related Slideshow: Timeline of Ebola in the US
Since August, GoLocalProv has been covering the Ebola virus and its outbreak. We have created a timeline to track the development of the virus' intercontinental spread.
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