AHS updates Ebola preparations

After the recent news of another Ebola case in the U.S., Alberta Health Services is giving their latest update on tracking the disease.

It comes after a second Dallas, Texas nurse was infected with the disease and officials are now contacting passengers of the plane she was on the day before she was diagnosed.

There are still no cases of Ebola in Canada and Alberta Chief Medical Officer, Dr. James Talbot says the risk is still very low.

Talbot, said they continue to monitor the global track of the disease, as well as work with federal and provincial counterparts on training local staff.

“Alberta Health Services has held and is holding more training sessions to reinforce with health care workers how to protect themselves,” Talbot said. “This includes hands-on training for health care workers in emergency departments, critical care and EMS in all zones.”

Calgary Zone Lead Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Richard Musto, said protective gear is also available and is being updated with neck guards.

“That would’ve been a new piece and this is again an example of what Dr. Talbot said, that we’re learning not only from our own experience, but our experience across the country and indeed around the world,” he said.

Talbot is also encouraging any Canadians who may have returned from the three affected African countries – Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – to not be afraid to come forward.

“We know that the sooner that people get treated for Ebola, the better the health outcomes, if you may have been exposed, please call HealthLink and find out the next steps for seeking care,” Taylor said.

Musto added patients have been categorized as either wet or dry patients, but that may be changing.

“So a patient that for example had fever and we were working them up as a possible case but did not have bleeding or vomiting or diarrhea, so limiting the kinds of exposures that the health worker might have had,” he said. “We are moving likely to treat them all as though they are wet patients.”

Counselling services are also being provided for front-line workers who may feel stressed by the situation.