PUBLIC HEALTH REAFFIRMS: NO EBOLA CASE IN DELAWARE

October 6, 2014 (Dover, DE) - The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) reaffirmed today that there are no cases of Ebola virus in Delaware. A Kent County child who recently moved from West Africa was evaluated in a hospital for a mild illness over the weekend, but Ebola was ruled out almost immediately as the child had not come in contact with anyone sickened by the Ebola virus. The child also lacked significant symptoms of the disease, and was on the last day of the 21-day incubation period. The child is fully recovered from a mild illness and is expected to be released from the hospital.

Ebola is a very difficult disease to get and may only be transmitted if a person comes in direct contact with the bodily fluids of someone suffering from the symptoms of the Ebola disease. The incubation period, the time in which a person exposed to someone with Ebola will develop the disease, is two to 21 days. The only Ebola case confirmed at a United States hospital is an adult male in Dallas, Texas, who was infected in Liberia.

"Delaware does not have any cases of Ebola," said Dr. Karyl Rattay, DPH Director. "I appreciate the vigilance of the child's medical provider to obtain the child's medical history and alert DPH given the need to carefully evaluate risk for the disease. With global travel, we must always be on alert and ready to screen for such a disease."

DPH has provided guidance to health care providers and educational institutions, including a message to the public schools today, clearly stating that Delaware has no cases. For further guidance for medical professionals, visit the Delaware Health Alert Network website at dhss.delaware.gov/dph/php/alertshan2014.html.

The site contains the medical guidance provided from DPH since the outbreak.

For further information on Ebola virus,visit www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola.

DPH reminds medical providers to screen for travel history and isolate the patient if Ebola is suspected, and alert the DPH Office of Epidemiology at 888-295-5156 (Monday-Friday: 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.) or 302-744-4700 (after 4:30 p.m., weekends, and holidays).

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person's spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit http://delawarerelay.com

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, drink almost no sugary beverages.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.