Ebola’s first case was reported in Africa in 1970s but in 2014, the outbreak was devastating. This deadly disease causes mild fever, severe headache, vomiting and unexpected hemorrhage in the carrier of this virus. The role of public health departments is critical in this outbreak because the outbreak has been sudden, and an emergency response rate has been quite slow. It is important that public health departments should arrange a surveillance system to identify VHF (Viral Hemorrhage Fever ) in patients. It is crucial that pre-epidemic emergency response should be developed, and precautions should be reinforced throughout the health care surroundings to ensure that infection is controlled. (Anthony, 2014)
Emergency response measures to control the risk of transmission should be undertaken by public health departments and care should be taken that blood transmissions or interactions or body fluids of affected patient should not be exposed to the ones that are not ill. Public health departments should be allocated funds so they can educate the basic health facilities to the health care providers within community and the health workers so they have prior knowledge of the details to look for in the patient and the control of infection from spreading. Public health care departments should also post signs in the emergency department of every hospital to educate patients who have travelled from Guinea or Liberia and demonstrate symptoms similar to Ebola of who to contact and the precautions to take. (Anthony, 2014)
Some strict policies should be designed to counteract Ebola outbreak, and vigilant scanning and health advisory should take place of people travelling from Africa and affected areas. Environment cleaning procedures and scanning should take place thoroughly and the authorities should make sure that proper preventive instruments are available for staff working in affected countries, so the spread of the virus is minimal.
References
Anthony S. Fauci (Aug, 2014) “Ebola — Underscoring the Global Disparities in Health Care Resources” The New England Journal of Medicine, http://www.docbaweja.com/admin/image/1408380273EBOLA.pdf
