Given the continued presence of Ebola in West Africa, Texas Children’s has put appropriate plans in place to receive a patient with the virus.
“We know exactly what room in the Emergency Center we would put a patient, we know what personnel would go in, and we know what protective gear they would be wearing,” said Dr. Jeffrey Starke, medical director of infection control. “We have plans in place to deal with this and minimize, to the extent we can, possible risk to employees and physicians at Texas Children’s Hospital.”
Starke emphasized that the likelihood of such plans being carried out are very low.
Where Ebola is making the most impact
About 3,700 cases of Ebola have been detected this year in the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. The vast majority of cases have been in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, countries that have very few visitors to the U.S. and Houston. The cases in Nigeria have been traced to one man from Liberia who traveled to Lagos and died from Ebola, but the virus does not appear to have been widely spread in Nigeria.
“To put it into some perspective, think about it like this,” Starke said. “More than 20 million people live in the three most impacted countries – Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone – which means the case rate in those areas is one per 5,000 people. In other words, 99.98 percent of the people in those countries do not have Ebola.”
No confirmed Ebola cases have been reported in the United States, Starke said, adding that the only people at risk of getting the virus are those living in the countries where there is an outbreak. If someone were to show up in the United States with Ebola, it probably would be an American who got the virus while living abroad in one of the high-risk areas.
“Under that scenario, you already know the patient has Ebola, so you have plenty of time to take all of the appropriate precautions and do what’s necessary,” Starke said.
How we’ve prepared
To prepare for such an event, Texas Children’s leaders in Infection Control, the Emergency Centers, Critical Care, Emergency Management, Texas Children’s Pediatrics and other areas are monitoring daily Ebola updates and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The group meets weekly to assess Texas Children’s preparedness plan as it relates to the most current information.
A specific protocol has been developed addressing the steps we would take should we receive an Ebola patient, and rooms have been identified in the Emergency Center and the PICU that would be used to isolate and securely monitor the patient.
We have an inventory of appropriate protective equipment, including full-coverage protective suits that have been deployed to Main and West campuses, the Pavilion for Women and transport services (Kangaroo Crew).
We also are developing information to share at in-person education huddles in areas that might be a point of entry should we receive a patient with Ebola symptoms.
Starke recently filmed a video responding to common questions and concerns related to Ebola. Click here for Starke’s FAQs video.
Where to find more information
Texas Children’s Ebola Education website (the latest Texas Children’s Ebola response and readiness information)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
World Health Organization