Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever Information for Laboratorians
Recently, the transport of confirmed
Ebola virus-infected patients into the United States for care has raised
questions about caring for travelers with possible Ebola and other
exotic viruses here in Iowa. If any patients in Iowa are suspected of
having Ebola or other exotic virus, it is important to immediately
notify local and state public health officials for consultation on how
to handle isolation and testing.The CDC has published a number of documents to educate the public and to provide more detailed directives for health care providers on recognizing and properly treating patients suspected of being infected.
Generalized information regarding the Ebola virus can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/. A fact sheet for the public is available for download at http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/resources/pdfs/Ebola-FactSheet.pdf
For health care professionals, the CDC released the following documents on August 1st "Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Hospitalized Patients with Known or Suspected Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever in U.S. Hospitals" and "Guidelines for Evaluation of US Patients Suspected of Having Ebola Virus Disease" found at the following links: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/infection-prevention-and-control-recommendations.html and http://emergency.cdc.gov/han/han00364.asp
Please refer to http://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dhcpp/vspb/specimens.html for detailed instructions and a link to the specimen submission form for CDC laboratory testing.
For information purposes, the State Hygienic Lab does NOT perform testing for Ebola but can provide consultation on specimen collection, packaging and transportation to send to the CDC. For further guidance on lab testing, contact the State Hygienic Lab (Dr. Wade Aldous 319-335-4765).
