Active Tracing and Monitoring of Contacts Associated With the First Cluster of Ebola in the United States, free abstract published by the Annals of Internal Medicine. 05/26/15
Addressing Needs of Contacts of Ebola Patients During an Investigation of an Ebola Cluster in the United States — Dallas, Texas, 2014, published in the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 02/13/2015
01/30/15 The Texas Medical Association Board of Trustees presented Presidential Awards to DCMS, Dr. Wendy Chung, Dr. John Carlo, and Dr. David Lakey, Texas Commissioner of Health for their work throughout the Ebola Virus crisis. Accepting the award on behalf of DCMS is Michael Darrouzet, DCMS CEO. Very proud of all these great physicians and the DCMS team. Thank you TMA!


In September 2014, a patient hospitalized in Dallas County was confirmed to have Ebola infection, through testing performed at the CDC and state laboratories. This was the first imported case of Ebola to have been diagnosed in the United States. Ebola is spread through direct contact with blood, secretions or other bodily fluids or exposure to contaminated objects, such as needles. It cannot be spread simply by being near someone who is infected. People only become contagious after they begin to have symptoms.
DCMS physicians representing two committees — Community Emergency Response and Infection Prevention and Control and Antimicrobial Stewardship — have provided the following answers to commonly asked questions about Ebola.
Information for Physicians | Information for the Public | DCMS Members in the Media
Information for Physicians
Clinical Resources
10/31/2014 Ambulatory Care Evaluation of Patients with Possible Ebola Virus Disease (Ebola), published by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
10/29/2014 UPDATED Texas DSHS Ebola Testing Algorithm
10/26/2014 Updated CDC Guidance: Monitoring Symptoms and Controlling Movement to Stop Spread of Ebola
10/20/2014 Did you miss the Oct. 20 Tele-Town Hall Meeting
on Ebola? Read Q&A from the meeting.
10/16/2014 Ebola Fact Sheet created by DCMS and Texas Medical Association (TMA)
10/16/2014 CDC’s UPDATED Checklist for Patients Being Evaluated for Ebola Virus Disease in the United States
10/12/2014 DCMS leaders update on Ebola situation for DCMS members,
in response to the positive diagnosis of a healthcare worker.
Scientific Research
New England Journal of Medicine's Ebola Outbreak Resource Page
10/16/2014 New England Journal of Medicine:
Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa — The First 9 Months of the Epidemic and Forward Projections
New York State/New York City Laboratory Guidelines for Handling Specimens from Patients with Suspected or Confirmed Ebola Virus Disease
10/14/2014 PLOS Currents Outbreaks On the Quarantine Period for Ebola Virus
BioMed Central Public Health 2012 Guidance for contact tracing of cases of Lassa fever, Ebola or Marburg haemorrhagic fever on an airplane: results of a European expert consultation
The Lancet Journal, Vol 377,
March 5, 2011 Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever
©Springer-Verlag (outside the USA) 2010 Sensitivity
to ultraviolet radiation of Lassa, vaccinia, and Ebola viruses
dried on surfaces
© US Government 2010 Persistence in darkness of virulent alphaviruses, Ebola virus, and Lassa virus deposited on solid surfaces
Journal of Infectious Diseases
2007 Assessment of the Risk of Ebola Virus Transmission from Bodily Fluids and Fomites
Journal of Infectious Diseases
Transmission of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever: A Study of Risk Factors in Family Members, Kikwit, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1995
Journal of Infectious Diseases Clinical, Virologic, and Immunologic Follow-Up of Convalescent Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever Patients and Their Household Contacts, Kikwit, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Health Advisories
11/24/2014 Official CDC Health Advisory: Enhanced Airport Entry Screening and Active Post-Arrival Monitoring for People Traveling to the United States from Mali
11/14/2014 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR): Ebola Virus Disease Cluster in the US - Dallas County, Texas, 2014
10/2/2014 CDC Health Advisory - Evaluating Patients for Possible Ebola Virus Disease: Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel and Health Officials
10/1/2014 Texas Department of State Health Services Health Alert on Ebola Virus in Texas
09/30/2014 DCHHS Health Advisory (#4): Ebola Virus Disease
A patient hospitalized in Dallas County was confirmed to have
Ebola infection this afternoon, through testing performed at the
CDC and state laboratories. This is the first imported case of
Ebola to have been diagnosed in the United States.
08/27/14 DCHHS Health Advisory
Update: Ebola Testing
Dallas County Health & Human Services
has updated the algorithm to assist with testing and monitoring of patients with suspected Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). DCHHS has also provided physicians
with a new "Screening Questionnaire" tool for exposure
assessment. This questionnaire can be found on the second page
of the linked PDF.
The algorithm and questionnaire were
developed as a tools for area clinicians who may be evaluating
patients with compatible risk factors and symptoms. Please note
that this interim guidance is subject to change due to the evolving
situation. This update replaces previous versions from 8/7/14
and 8/11/14, and incorporates new CDC guidance which has been
released.
For more information, including recently updated guidance documents,
visit the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention's website.
Ebola Resource Pages
Texas
Medical Association Ebola Virus Resource Center
American
Medical Association Ebola Resource Center
Texas Department of State Health Services Ebola Resource Page
Centers for Disease Control Ebola Virus Disease Resource Page
Texas Health Resources—What You Need to Know about Ebola Disease Exposure
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Information for the Public
For Patients
TMA released a video, Why You're Not At All Very Likely to “Catch” Ebola, featuring Robert Haley, MD, director of the Division of Epidemiology in the Internal Medicine Department at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
10/22/2014 Dallas Medical Resource ad in Dallas Morning News: A Message in Support of Our Health Care Community
10/16/2014 DCMS and Texas Medical Association's (TMA) Ebola Fact Sheet
DCMS physicians answer commonly asked questions about Ebola.
TMA answers the question,"What is Ebola?"
10/8/2014 DCMS Assessment of Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins Risk of Exposure to the Ebola Virus—Christine Gorman, editor of health and medicine for Scientific American, wrote an editorial praising Dallas County elected officials for their reasonable actions.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has an on-demand webinar reviewing the US healthcare system's preparedness to handle Ebola patients.
For Parents
10/12/2014 Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) has provided an Ebola FAQ in both English and Spanish.
10/2/2014 WFAA News: DCMS provided "5 things parents need to know about Ebola" for concerned parents of DISD students.
Press Releases
11/05/2014 DCMS Press Release: Dallas Physicians Support Facts Over Fear: Don’t Quarantine Healthcare Workers Who Care For Ebola Patients
10/17/2014 AMA News Release: Joint statement from the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association
10/17/2014 DCMS Press Release: DCMS Physicians: Don't Close Schools Because of Ebola Fears
10/8/2014 DCMS Press Release: DCMS has agreed to partner with DCHHS to provide scientific information about Ebola
09/30/2014 Public Statement from DCHHS Director Zachary Thompson on First US Diagnosed Ebola Case
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DCMS Members in the Media
Addressing
Needs of Contacts of Ebola Patients During an Investigation of an
Ebola Cluster in the United States — Dallas, Texas, 2014,
published in the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 02/13/2015
9
Texas districts, most in Dallas area, spent nearly $117,000 during
Ebola scare, published in the Dallas Morning News.
01/20/2015
Trial
By Ebola featuring DCMS member Dr. Wendy Chung,
published in Vanity Fair. 02/2015
Special Message from DCMS President Todd Pollock, MD—“Fact, Not Fear” 10/16/2014
For
Presbyterian, honor is an op-ed written by
DCMS President, Todd Pollock, MD, and published in the
Dallas Morning News.10/28/2014
60 Minutes presents Treating
Ebola: Inside the First U.S. Diagnosis 10/26/2014
WFAA's Janet St James goes one-on-one with Presbyterian Hospital doctor,Dr. Gary Weinstein. 10/18/2014
USA
Today mentions DCMS' work in the community as a response
to the Ebola situation in Dallas. 10/16/2014
Dr. John Carlo helped WFAA launch their #FactsNotFear campaign with another live chat. 10/16/2014
DCMS President Todd Pollock, MD, joined Drs.
John Carlo and Robert Haley to host a
town
hall meeting about Ebola. Channel 8 anchor John McCaa moderated
the discussion, which also featured former CDC director and ABC
News reporter Richard Besser, MD. 10/15/2014
Dr. Robert Haley is interviewed by
CNN's Jake Tapper regarding the hospital's handling of Dallas'
first Ebola patient. 10/14/2014
#AskDCMS
- DCMS physicians participated in a one-hour, live Twitter
chat on Tuesday to answer the public's questions about the Ebola
virus. This event was covered live by NBCDFW Channel 5. 10/14/2014
Dr. John Carlo, the chair of the Dallas County
Medical Society's Community Emergency Response Team, joined News
8 at 4 Tuesday to attempt to ease public fears about the Ebola
virus and the chance of an outbreak in Dallas.10/14/2014
Dr. John Carlo and Penn State University assistant
professor Gavin MacGregor-Skinner join
CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper" to discuss if the
Dallas health system is equipped to treat Ebola patients. 10/13/2014
DCMS member Andy Kahn, MD, spoke on Korean
television station Krobkruakao 3 about Ebola in Dallas. His
interview starts around 3:15.10/12/2014
DCMS member Ed Dominguez, MD, wrote a blog post
on the importance
of providing scientific information about Ebola. 10/08/2014
Robert W. Haley, MD, gave an interview to KERA
radio in Dallas. 10/02/2014
DCMS provided an Ebola
fact sheet for concerned parents of DISD students. 10/02/2014
John T. Carlo, MD, chair of DCMS' Community Emergency
Response committee, answered questions from the community in a live
chat on WFAA's website and news broadcast. 10/01/2014
Robert W. Haley, MD, former DCMS President and
infectious disease specialist, appeared with Krys Boyd on KERA's
THINK to discuss Dallas' Ebola situation. 10/01/2014
Longtime DCMS member John Bertrand, MD, was profiled
by WFAA for his calming demeanor that eased the fears of his
OB/GYN patients at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas.
10/01/2014
Edward Goodman, MD, cochair of DCMS’ Infection
Prevention and Control committee and epidemiologist at Texas Health
Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, called into a national
press conference concerning the Ebola patient. 10/01/2014
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