The New York Times (10/8, Belluck, Subscription Publication) reports, “Since a Liberian man tested positive for Ebola in Dallas a week ago and officials announced on Monday that a nurse in Spain had been infected by the virus there, calls have been pouring into the” CDC from physicians “and nurses wanting help in protecting themselves and their employees from the disease.” Currently, the CDC “is not recommending hazardous-material suits.” Abbigail Tumpey, an agency spokeswoman, said, “We’re saying that we don’t think the extra is necessary.” But, Tumpey said, “if facilities want to use it, they need to train their staff in appropriate use.”
Cecilia Vega reported on ABC World News (10/7, story 4, 2:46, Muir) that hospitals around the nation are “on high alert,” adding that doctors say that “what happened in Dallas was a real wake-up call.”
NBC News (10/8) reports that “the Dallas case has made U.S. hospitals hyper-alert to the threat of Ebola virus, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Thomas Frieden says.”
John Blackstone reported on the CBS Evening News(10/7) that “across the country, of more than 1,600 nurses who responded to an online survey by National Nurses United, 77 percent say their hospital has not communicated to them any policy regarding potential admission of patients infected by Ebola.”
The AP (10/8, Caruso) reports that New York City “911 operators have been told to ask people who describe Ebola-like symptoms and ask for ambulances if they’ve traveled to West Africa recently.” Meanwhile, one “Ohio hospital has hung up signs imploring patients to let nurses know immediately if they have traveled recently to West Africa.”
The Wall Street Journal (10/8, West, Subscription Publication) reports that this week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “We know that if we have even the possibility that someone may have Ebola that they’re going to be handled in a very careful and aggressive manner. So I feel very, very confident. All New Yorkers should feel confident.”
The Los Angeles Times (10/8, Therolf) reports that yesterday, “Los Angeles County public health officials said...they have no doubt that they are ready to handle any potential cases” of Ebola.
The Sarasota (FL) Herald-Tribune (10/8) reports, “From setting up hospital task forces to training urgent care clinics and emergency room workers,” Southwest Florida “hospitals say they are taking steps in advance to treat Ebola patients if necessary.”
US to begin screening airline passengers from West Africa this week. Kate Snow reported on NBC Nightly News (10/7, story 3, 2:13, Williams) that while passengers leaving West Africa “are already being screened,” the US government will now “begin screening incoming passengers at airports in this country some time this week.” Snow noted that experts say that while it is “likely another Ebola case will travel into the US,” isolated cases “do not equal an outbreak.” CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden was shown saying, “The enemy is a virus. It’s a difficult virus to stop, but we know how to control it.”
The New York Times (10/8, Mouawad, Subscription Publication) reports that while health officials “promised extra measures to screen airline passengers arriving into the United States,” they “remained opposed to more draconian travel restrictions that they say would cause more problems than they would solve.” CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden “said new measures would be announced in coming days but cautioned against measures that could backfire or prove ineffective in the long run.” Frieden said, “If we do something that impedes our ability to stop the outbreak in West Africa, it could spread further there, we could have more countries like Liberia, and the challenge would be much greater and go on for a longer time.”
The Washington Post (10/7, Halsey) reports the White House said Tuesday new screening measures for airline passengers will be released in “the coming days.” The article cites Sen. Charles Schumer saying the new steps are being developed by the CDC. The article notes that the President’s promise of “stepped-up screening” will “fall on the shoulders of the Customs and Border Protection officers who greet passengers arriving from abroad.” The CBP is quoted saying, “When a traveler or alien is identified with a possible communicable disease, CBP personnel will take the appropriate safety measures by donning personal protective equipment...If they identify an individual believed to be infected, CBP will contact CDC along with local public health authorities to help with further medical evaluation.”
Another Washington Post (10/7, Berman) article says the new measures “could theoretically prevent some people who are infected with the Ebola virus from entering the country” but will not be able to stop every person with Ebola arriving in the US “because of the simple realities of the disease ravaging West Africa, whose symptoms take time to manifest, as well as the nature of air travel in the 21st century.” Frieden is quoted saying, “The plain truth is, we can’t make the risk zero until the outbreak is controlled in West Africa...What we can do is minimize that risk.”
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