Meigs First Responders Meet Concerning Ebola and Infectious Diseases

Pomeroy Oh- Meigs County Sheriff Keith Wood convened a meeting of local first responders on Monday, October 20, 2014 at the Meigs County Emergency Operations Center meeting room. Attending were representatives of the Meigs Sheriff’s Office, The Meigs EMA, EMS, Job and Family Services, Commissioners office, and the Meigs County Health Department.

Sheriff Wood asked, “How prepared is Meigs County and what steps should responders take when faced with a response to an infectious disease situation like Ebola?”

Meigs County Health Dept.’s (MCHD) Emergency Response Coordinator (ERC), Frank Gorscak, handed out information and led a discussion on Ebola and infectious disease response and prevention.

Health response information handed out/discussed included:

• Meigs County has no known cases of Ebola at this time.
• Ebola is a rare disease in this country.
• The Ohio Department of Health has opened its Emergency Operations Center to help cope with the “outbreak” in the greater Cleveland area.
• Ebola is not air transmissible.
• If an Ebola patient sneezes/coughs the disease can be transferred on the droplets emitted, but the disease organisms cannot “float” through the air, as influenza can. These droplets can be transferred through touching a sneezed-on area and then touching/rubbing your nose or eyes or picking your teeth with a fingernail.
• We live in a low-risk area for Ebola but preparation is key.
• 9-1-1 dispatch calls should be triaged for Ebola when the callers use “fever,” “headache,” “vomiting,” and “diarrhea,” to describe their symptoms. Triage would include questions such as: “Have you been to West Africa recently?” The responding units can then prepare for a proper response.
• Lab samples for diagnosis will be routed to the ODH state lab via the Ohio Highway Patrol with a 4-6 hour turn-around lab time. Transport needs should be arranged through the Meigs Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) who will go through proper channels to schedule the pickup.
• Information on Ebola can be found on Meigs-Health.com or the Meigs Health Facebook page and twitter account or by calling 740-992-6626.

Meigs 9-1-1 said they would comply with the triage questions when dispatching units.

Meigs Emergency Medical Services (MEMS) reported they were equipped with proper turnout gear for infectious diseases but needed the dispatch information to don the gear before the response.

Bob Byer, Meigs Emergency Management Agency Director, reported that he had a limited amount of response supplies available but he had local and Ohio EMA resources available for re-supply, if needed. After the meeting, an inventory of supplies was conducted.