GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY
EMERGING & RE-EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC FEVERS
EBOLA HEALTH EMERGENCY IN CONNECTICUT
EBOLA EPIDEMIC IN WEST AFRICA
SCENARIOS 797, 444, 333, 080, 011
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CT Gov. authorizes quarantines, after declaring Ebola a ‘public health emergency’
Gov. Malloy has declared a “public health emergency” for the state of Connecticut and signed an order on Tuesday authorizing the Department of Public Health to quarantine potentially infected individuals/groups.
“We are taking this action today to ensure that we are prepared, in advance, to deal with any identified cases in which someone has been exposed to the virus or, worst case, infected,” said Malloy.
“It is essential to be prepared and we need to have the authorities in place that will allow us to move quickly to protect public health, if and when that becomes necessary,” he added.
“While local health officials are certainly on the front lines of this effort, at the ready to address any situation, having this order in place will allow us to have a more coordinated response in the event that someone in Connecticut either tests positive for Ebola or has been identified as someone who is at risk of developing it,” said Commissioner Mullen of the Department of Public Health.
With the the emergency proclamation in place, “we don’t have to scramble in the event I need to take action.” said Mullen.
There are no Ebola cases currently in Connecticut, and the order is meant as a precaution in case someone with either a confirmed infection or suspected of carrying the virus enters the state.
Other U.S. states seem to have been left with little option but to follow the precedent set by the Connecticut governor.
In Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the respective state health commissioners have the authority to quarantine anyone suspected of exposure to Ebola virus.
Ebola in Brief
Symptoms of Ebola include
- Fever (greater than 38.6°C or 101.5°F)
- Severe headache
- Muscle pain
- Weakness
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising)
Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to Ebola, but the average is 8 to 10 days.
Recovery from Ebola depends on the patient’s immune response. People who recover from Ebola infection develop antibodies that last for at least 10 years. [Source: CDC]
Global Health Emergency
WHO declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern,’ under the International Health Regulations on August 8, 2014.
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