Ebola Update: Changes in Recommendations for Travelers from Liberia June 17, 2015 Public Health, SF Dept of Public Health CDPH, Ebola, health advisory, SFDPH health alert 0 Effective today (June 17), the CDC is recommending discontinuation of active monitoring by health departments for travelers from Liberia for Ebola. The Ebola outbreak in Liberia was declared over as of May 9. SFDPH will discontinue active monitoring of travelers from Liberia as of June 17. Liberia is not considered to be a country with widespread Ebola transmission. However, active monitoring by SFDPH for travelers from Guinea and Sierra Leone continues unchanged. Travelers to the US from Liberia will continue to be routed through 5 designated airports. They will receive written instructions to monitor their own health for 21 days after leaving Liberia, and to make contact with the California Department of Public Health if symptoms develop. If a symptomatic traveler indicates that he or she is in San Francisco, California Department of Public Health will in turn communicate with SFDPH, and SFDPH will communicate with the traveler and also notify the medical facility where the patient is planning to present for care. If providers have questions regarding ruling out Ebola, or other unusual imported infections such as MERS-CoV or Avian Influenza, they should call SFDPH Communicable Disease Unit immediately at (415) 554-2830. California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Recommended Protocol for Medical Providers: Should conduct thorough histories that include health status, travel, and exposures. Should assess travel history for any possible infectious disease exposures (e.g., MERS-CoV, malaria) and not focused only on Ebola-affected countries. Should use clinical judgement to evaluate patients based on those histories and their symptoms. Should implement infection control measures as indicated by travel history and clinical presentation. Follow standard protocols for patient care (e.g., medical equipment, procedures, infection control, laboratory testing). If the patient reports travel from Liberia and no travel to Guinea and Sierra Leone – no Ebola-specific precautions are required. Should continue to report suspect cases of any potential high risk infectious disease to the Local Health Department. SF providers should contact the SFDPH Communicable Disease Unit at (415) 554-2830. When caring for patients from Liberia, health care providers should adopt standard, contact, and droplet infection control precautions as appropriate, based on the patient’s clinical presentation. PPE and infection control precautions that would have been implemented specifically for Ebola Persons Under Investigation (PUIs) would not generally be indicated for travelers from Liberia at this time. Click here to view the updated FAQ on Ebola monitoring from CDPH. Ebola Update Conference Call CDPH is holding a call for medical facilities on June 18 at 1 pm to discuss the updated approach to travelers from Liberia. To participate on the call, dial (800) 857-6025 and enter 9680670 as the participant code. Additional Resources CDPH Ebola webpage CDC Ebola webpage CDC West Africa outbreak map CDC Ebola Ambulatory Care Guidance Comments are closed.
