Grand Rapids, Michigan – A traveler being monitored by health authorities, after returning from West Africa, but officials said the traveler never given care nor had any contact with Ebola-infected patients, and showed low risk of Ebola infection based on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) standards. The traveler being monitored has not also exhibited any signs of any illness.
The staff of the Health Department of Kent County will monitor the patient within a 21-day surveillance period in order to monitor any symptoms, and to provide urgent care or temporary treatment just in case. The surveillance period will include the department’s measured temperature in accordance to the CDC and Michigan Department of Community Health.
Just recently, the CDC instigated a program in actively monitoring individuals who arrive in the United States from Sierra Leone, Liberia, or Guinea. The program serves as urgent care clinics for all travelers.
The travel history will monitor all air travelers routed through 5 major airports, including the JFK, Newark, Dulles, O’Hare, and Atlanta, where in Ebola screening for symptoms and risk factors will occur. Every information and traveler being monitored will be registered in the national system, which will be forwarded to the state health departments and then distributed to the local agencies. The local health departments will be the offices responsible for the health monitoring procedures.
All travelers from West African countries should be provided with a sort of an urgent care near me facility, not only to provide the patients with self-monitoring protocols, but also a big step to prevent the spread of the disease towards others.
Ebola infection is neither a waterborne or airborne disease, and an Ebola-infected person is not contagious. However, the infection can be transmitted to others once the symptoms occur, which usually take until 21 days.
The initial symptoms of Ebola infection are similar to that of influenza virus infection, including headache, muscle pain, joint pain, stomach ache, and fever. Those with such health signs must consult with an urgent care clinic for immediate diagnosis and possible treatment.
Health officials said the people with higher risks of contracting the infection are those giving care for the Ebola-infected patient, such as families, friends, and health care workers. Officials pointed out that the general public must not panic in case they develop flu-like signs.
The traveler being monitored has been the most recent history, and officials said risk factors have not changed, but will closely watch over travelers from the Ebola-stricken countries and those who had contact with someone infected by Ebola or died from it.
