FICEMS: No Travel History Screening for Ebola Needed
In a letter to the EMS and 911 communities, the chair of the Federal Interagency Committee on EMS said that the cases of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo earlier this summer did not require Ebola-specific travel screening by first responders or 911 telecommunicators in the United States.
"At this time, the [United States Government] has determined that there is very little risk to the United States of potential EVD transmission to our population," wrote Edward Gabriel, deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
FICEMS will continue to coordinate and communicate with EMS, 911 and other key community members at the local, state and national levels as the Federal government monitors the situation and reviews guidance documents developed during our previous experience with EVD. State and local agencies should also take this opportunity to review policies, procedures and plans that were developed in the past.
The letter is available below or online at ems.gov.
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: NHTSA Office of EMS Tags: Patient Care News Source Type: news
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