Information and Guidance on Ebola for EMS Systems and Providers

October 9, 2014

Article Update: On Oct. 15, The NVFC, CFSI, IAFC, and IAFF sent a letter to the Health and Human Services Secretary regarding Ebola and the emergency response community. Find resources for Ebola and the emergency services community from the CDC and the IAFC. 

On September 30 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the first case of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the United States. The patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, died on October 8 after being treated for Ebola in a hospital in Texas.

Since March 25, when the World Health Organization first announced that the Ministry of Health of Guinea had reported an outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever, there have been a total of 8,033 cases, including 4,461 that have been laboratory-confirmed, that have caused 3,865 deaths as of October 8. Most of the cases have been in West Africa. On October 8, enhanced Ebola screening procedures at five U.S. airports and a new tracking program for all people entering the U.S. from Ebola-affected countries were announced. 

The CDC has established an EVD webpage with information for healthcare workers, including the Interim Guidance: EMS Systems & 9-1-1 PSAPs: Management of Patients in the U.S., the Detailed EMS Checklist for Ebola Preparedness, the Checklist for Patients Being Evaluated for EVD, U.S., and the Facts about Ebola in the U.S. Infographic.

View a CDC Health Advisory Message about EVD that was issued on October 2, 2014.