October 17, 2014

In a news conference held earlier today at the Capitol in Austin, Texas Governor Rick Perry announced initial recommendations for better containment and care of diagnosed Ebola patients in Texas.

Perry was advised by the 17-member Texas Task Force on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response that he created earlier this month, days after the first case of Ebola was diagnosed in the U.S.

“One of the lessons learned over the last few weeks is the importance of having specialized facilities for bio containment and for training health care workers in order to manage the complex care required by patients with Ebola,” said task force member Dr. Peter Hotez who also is director of the Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development. “A key recommendation from the task force calls for the creation of such facilities.”

Perry’s task force recommended state designation of Ebola Treatment Centers equipped to treat and care for adult patients with confirmed Ebola. These state-designated Ebola treatment facilities would be equipped to provide highly specialized infectious disease care, including infection control and protection of health care workers, decontamination, waste management, complex early stage experimental therapies, and various coordination and communication capabilities with local, state and federal partners.

The group specifically recommended University of Texas Medical Branch/ Galveston National Laboratory (UTMB/GNL) for the treatment and care of adult patients with Ebola. UTMB/GNL is a leading resource for all aspects of high consequence infectious diseases like Ebola. In a statement released by UTMB on Thursday, the organization said it has the expertise to safely and effectively care for Ebola patient needs, and there already is a plan in place for staffing and fluid decontamination. UTMB also houses a qualified incinerator.

Additional recommendations from the task force include:

  • Establishment of two Ebola Treatment Centers in Texas
  • Establishment of specialized patient transport teams
  • Expanded training of infectious disease protocols for health care workers
  • More testing labs for infectious disease
  • Increased authority for Department of State Health Services chief to issue Enforceable Control Orders

The task force will have its first hearing on October 23 to focus on medical and public health preparedness for initial identification and isolation of patients with Ebola or similar high-consequence infectious diseases and will submit initial assessments and recommendations by December 1 for consideration by Governor Perry and the Texas Legislature.

To view details of the task force’s recommendations, please visit here.

The task force has not made recommendations for the care of pediatric patients or pregnant women, but Hotez said they are studying the matter and will have additional recommendations soon. In the meantime, Texas Children’s is maintaining its focus on the preparedness plans already in place.

“The recommendations for adult care do not impact our planning and preparation,” said Texas Children’s Physician-in-Chief Dr. Mark Kline. “We will continue to train and over prepare our health care team to confidently treat any patient who exhibits symptoms of any potentially contagious disease.”