Important facts about the Ebola virus and traveling

For the past couple of weeks we have all been listening to the media coverage of the Ebola virus that is very virulent in 3 West African nations. Ebola has infected 2 health care workers in the United States who were treating a man who recently traveled from West Africa.

Especially when pertaining to travel there is a lot of concern and uncertainty, and we see clients cancel trips, even if this means at a great financial loss. As a travel professional it is my duty to direct my clients to the proper source for information concerning their travel destinations, and provide the facts as we receive them. I will never tell you that this is a disease that you should not be concerned about, but instead focus on the facts and make intelligent travel decisions without letting the media scare you. Based on facts we must each individually decide how to react.

Facts:

Ebola, previously known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever is transmitted through bodily fluids.
Only 1 person has died in the U.S. from Ebola and he was already very ill when he arrived at the hospital here in the U.S. On September 30th CDC confirmed that Thomas Duncan had tested positive for Ebola. Mr. Duncan passed away on October 8, 2014.
On October 10, a healthcare worker at Texas Presbyterian Hospital who provided care for the index patient reported a low-grade fever and was referred for testing. The healthcare worker tested positive for Ebola according to preliminary tests by the Texas Department of State Health Services’ laboratory. The healthcare worker was isolated after the initial report of a fever and remains in isolation. CDC confirms that the healthcare worker is positive for Ebola.
On the morning of October 14, a second healthcare worker at Texas Presbyterian Hospital who provided care for the index patient reported to the hospital with a low-grade fever and was isolated. The healthcare worker tested positive for Ebola according to preliminary tests. This healthcare worker is also being treated in isolation
There is a 21 day incubation period in which the disease can manifest after being exposed.

We are now past day 21 for the standard Ebola incubation period. None of the original contact list in Dallas have become positive. The evidence is therefor very strong that, contrary to what has been reported by some, the virus is not transmitted efficiently nor is aersolized. It should be noted that the virus that arrived in Dallas is the most highly mutated Ebola Zaire strain ever documented. And yet, no pandemic or even an outbreak among the original contacts.

The two infected nurses represents accidental protocol breach under conditions associated with maximal risk- the handling of high volume, highly infectious fluids. While there have been concerns that some of the additional healthcare workers (~76 in total) may have been infected, we have not seen this yet. This represents a new incubation period to monitor, where we are passed half way. (we have passed the optimal timeframe of Ebola incubation, which is 7-10 days).
One of the two healthcare workers who later tested positive for Ebola had taken two domestic flights. The CDC on Thursday was reaching out to passengers who were on these two flights: Frontier Airlines flight 1142 from Dallas/Fort Worth to Cleveland on Oct. 10 Frontier Airlines flight 1143 from Cleveland to Dallas/Fort Worth on Oct. 13. It is important to note that the healthcare worker who tested positive for Ebola had traveled on those flights prior to reporting symptoms.
The cruise ship passenger, a lab supervisor who worked with the blood of deceased Liberian Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan has been cleared - she does not have Ebola! She is symptom free, her bloodwork is normal, and the 21-day incubation period for the disease is about to lapse. She was a passenger onboard the Carnival Magic cruise ship that has now returned to the port of Galveston.

A person who is exposed but showing no symptoms is not contagious.

The nursing union, which is arguably one of, if not the most powerful lobbying group in American healthcare has emerged as a powerful driving force to re-examine what true medical preparedness means.

Ebola is not a new disease - it has been around since 1976 in parts of Africa.
The Ebola outbreak, the largest in history, has sickened 9,216 suspected cases and 4,555 confirmed deaths. — and the World Health Organization said those numbers are almost certainly an underestimate.
The natural reservoir of Ebola virus is believed to be bats, particularly fruit bats, and it is primarily transmitted between humans and from animals to humans through body fluids.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported cases of Ebola. These cases are not related to the ongoing outbreak of Ebola in West Africa.
Nigeria and Senegal have not reported any new cases since September 5, 2014, and August 29, 2014, respectively. All contacts in both countries have now completed their 21-day follow up, with no further cases of Ebola reported.
New cases continue to be reported from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
One confirmed case of Ebola has been reported in Spain.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Wednesday announced new screening procedures at five American airports that see the most travelers from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone: New York’s JFK International Airport, Washington-Dulles, Newark, Chicago-O’Hare and Atlanta. Staff will question and take the temperature of everyone coming from those countries and screen for signs of the illness. Approximately 150 passengers come to the U.S. from those countries each day, officials said.
Fifty of Texas Health Presbyterian employees signed a legal document in which they agreed to restrict travel until the end of the incubation period.
According to the CDC symptoms of Ebola include: fever, severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal (stomach) pain, unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising). Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to Ebola, but the average is 8 to 10 days. This DOES NOT mean that anyone with these symptoms have Ebola! Recovery from Ebola depends on good supportive clinical care and the patient’s immune response. People who recover from Ebola infection develop antibodies that last for at least 10 years.

There continues to be some confusion regarding signs and symptoms of Ebola. Ebola is often associated with "influenza-like illness" (ILI) versus a febrile gastroenteritis.

To put things in perspective: it is much easier to catch the flu than to catch Ebola because flu is transmitted through the air and last year over 50,000 people died from influenza and pneumonia.

Just some information about traveling during this situation:

Travel insurance will not cover you if you want to cancel because you are AFRAID of catching Ebola unless you have purchased a cancel for any reason travel insurance policy.
In the unlikely event that you should contract Ebola while traveling travel insurance will be essential! (which is the case with any medical need you may have)
Some policies will allow you to cancel your vacation if you are quarantined because you have been exposed to Ebola. As a travel professional I am not authorized to provide specific coverage information! I can however refer you to an insurance company for complete coverage information.

An inappropriate focus on symptoms over a travel history. The travel history should take precedence. Unfortunately the reality is that indigenous Africans coming from the affected countries are not always being fully transparent about their risk.
President Obama has decided that imposing a travel ban from West Africa would be counterproductive. Instead, the CDC and the Department of Homeland Security's Customs & Border Protection this week and last week implemented additional screening measures at five U.S. airports through which 94% of travelers from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone pass when entering the U.S.: New York's JFK International Airport, Washington-Dulles, Newark Liberty, Chicago-O'Hare, and Atlanta. There are no direct flights from West Africa at this time. The screenings include examining passengers arriving from those countries for signs of illness, asking them a series of health- and exposure-related questions and providing health and self-monitoring information for identifying Ebola symptoms.

The likelihood that someone gets on an airplane here in the U.S. from Boston to Cleveland and contracts Ebola is as close to zero as it gets. "The scientific fact is that to contract Ebola one has to have direct contact with the body fluids, blood, secretions or articles contaminated with these fluids from an infected person -- all unlikely exposures for the average traveler. As a result, even when traveling to one of the affected countries, the risk of contracting the disease is very, very low."

ACI (Airports Council International) does not support a travel ban or travel restrictions and is confident the aviation industry can successfully responded to this public health emergency just as it has to other outbreaks such as Swine Flu, Avian Influenza and SARS, in the past, the organization stated.

There is currently no FDA approved vaccine, but CDC reccoments the following if you travel to or are in an area affected by an Ebola outbreak:

Practice careful hygiene. Wash your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and avoid contact with blood and body fluids.
Do not handle items that may have come in contact with an infected person’s blood or body fluids (such as clothes, bedding, needles, and medical equipment).
Avoid funeral or burial rituals that require handling the body of someone who has died from Ebola.
Avoid contact with bats and nonhuman primates or blood, fluids, and raw meat prepared from these animals.
Avoid hospitals in West Africa where Ebola patients are being treated. The U.S. embassy or consulate is often able to provide advice on facilities.
After you return, monitor your health for 21 days and seek medical care immediately if you develop symptoms.

Here is a link to Fox News’ Shepard Smith who took a few minutes to give the facts on Ebola Wednesday.

(please note that this is a very good report, however Mr. Smith mis-spoke when he stated that two health care workers have died in Texas - this is not correct! the two health care workers are being treated in isolation)

http://fox13now.com/2014/10/16/news-anchor-the-ebola-message-everyone-needs-to-hear/

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