CLIFTON - The frenzy over Ebola has the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local travel and healthcare providers on their toes. In Clifton first responders have held meetings to adjust protocols and guidelines.
On Tuesday a Liberian man with a fever was transported from Newark's Liberty International Airport, one of five airports in the country accepting flights from Ebola-ravaged areas, to University Hospital. However, it appears to have been a false alarm.
Gov. Chris Christie held a press conference Wednesday morning to announce the activation of a statewide Ebola preparedness plan at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack. During the conference, he said the man with the fever at Newark Airport is asymptomatic and was expected to be released soon. The man was questioned and examined as per new policy to screen all passengers with travel history to West Africa.
This scare arrived on the heels of the CDC tightening its guidelines for Ebola Monday night, ramping up training, protective equipment, and the equipment's proper use. Local hospitals are preparing in the event of an incident and Christie announced the Ebola Virus Disease Joint Response Team (EVD-JRT), which will coordinate state's response.
St. Mary's Hospital in Passaic, just over the border from Clifton, posted information on its Facebook page Oct. 17 announcing its own Ebola Response Plan which it reported was designed with input from several entities, including the CDC.
An Ebola Response Team is also in development for the hospital. The team is designed to provide 'specialized care' and limit the amount of staff interacting with suspected and confirmed Ebola patients within the hospital, according to the post.
Last week, hospitals state-wide were asked to hold drills to test staff adherence to emergency protocol.
Vanessa Warner, a representative of the hospital, said a 'tabletop' exercise was held, as well as a 'blind' exercise at St. Mary's Hospital.
The 'tabletop' exercise included all related staff and first responders in a verbal role-play of their roles.
The 'blind' exercise involved a surprise patient reporting Ebola-like symptoms. Staff was unaware of the drill and was monitored for its response to the situation and adherence to protocol. Warner reported both exercises went 'very well.'
St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson, another Clifton-area hospital, has not released information on its Ebola protocol, and did not return calls seeking comment before press time. However, Clifton Health Department reported Clifton first responders have been in contact with the hospital for emergency preparations talks.
During the governor's press conference, it was announced State Health Commissioner Mary O'Dowd will lead the Ebola Virus Disease Joint Response Team. Three state hospitals have been designated to handle possible Ebola: Hackensack University Medical Center, University Hospital in Newark and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. All hospitals in the state are able to diagnose and isolate cases, once it has been determined a patient has the Ebola virus, he or she would then be transported to one of the three hospitals for treatment.
The federal CDS also announced a dramatic increase in surveillance for Ebola, calling for all travelers who enter the U.S. from West Africa to be monitored for any symptoms for 21 days. The program will begin Monday for all travelers entering the country from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Passengers will be given kits at airports that include thermometers and instruction sheets on symptoms. State and local health officials will check in daily with passengers, said CDC director Tom Frieden.
Clifton's Emergency Medical Service (EMS), Fire, Health, and Police departments continue to meet to adjust their own protocols as the guidelines are updated. Training across the departments takes place annually and this year has been modified to include blood-borne illness.
Clifton Health Officer, John Biegel, said the Police Department will be updated with additional training as the guidelines change, but the Fire Department, which is also in charge of the ambulances, will be at the forefront in the case of Ebola.
Dispatchers are also being trained on how to appropriately route emergency calls, said Clifton Chief of Police, John Link.
'Travel history is key,' said Jennifer Kidd, Clifton's coordinator of Special Projects. Dispatchers must ask ill callers about travel history, if they have been in contact with someone who has Ebola, what symptoms they are experiencing, and if they have come in contact with any non-human primates.
Ebola symptoms are characterized by fever, severe headache, stomach or muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and unexplained bleeding or bruising. Early diagnosis can be difficult since symptoms are not exclusive to Ebola. The disease is only contagious when experiencing symptoms, which can appear during the 21-day incubation period from exposure. Human-to-human transmission occurs through contact with bodily fluids of individuals experiencing symptoms.
Risk information is to be relayed to emergency responders so they can don the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) before arriving on the scene, according to CDC guidelines. Clifton said standard, contact, and droplet PPE are in use.
PPE guidelines for healthcare workers as of Oct. 20 are much more stringent and include double gloves, boot covers, leg covers, single-use impermeable gowns or coveralls, respirators, disposable face shield, surgical hoods, and waterproof aprons. No skin is to be exposed. Donning and doffing procedures for PPE have also been revised and should be monitored by a trained observer, as per the guidelines.
Clifton officials explained the Fire Department's HAZMAT training means they 'definitely know how to use PPE the proper way' and are equipped for many different situations. Biegel said in an Ebola emergency they would take the lead.
