Horn Memorial Hospital and Ida County Public Health are
working closely with the Iowa Department of Public Health in response to the
West African Ebola situation. Ebola can
be scary, and with the recent media coverage of this disease, it is
understandable there may be concerns that a case of Ebola could occur here;
however, there is a world of difference between the U.S. and the parts of
Africa where Ebola is spreading. The
United States, Iowa, and Ida County have a strong healthcare system, and Ida
County has a community hospital and public health professionals who are
prepared to handle contagious illnesses.
“Ida County residents can be confident that Horn Memorial
Hospital has protocols and proper protective equipment in place for individuals
who contract contagious diseases,” says HMH Infection Prevention Coordinator
Julie Andresen, RN. “Our hospital and
staff are well trained and ready for any public health threat, should the need arise.”
It is important to remember the Ebola virus is not spread
through the air, and it is only contagious if the infected person is having
active symptoms. Ebola is spread through
direct contact with bodily fluids of a person experiencing symptoms of the
disease such as fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and muscle aches; it can
also be spread through exposure to objects such as used, contaminated
needles. It is also important to realize
that the risk of an Ebola outbreak in the U.S. is extremely low, there have
been no cases of the disease in Iowa, and the U.S. Public Health system is
taking extraordinary measures to keep this risk low.
Andresen and Patti Andrews, Ida County Public Health Nurse,
remind everyone that the risk of contracting any type of infectious disease can
be minimized by following these basic everyday healthy practices:
- Wash Your Hands!
- Stay Home When You Are Sick!
- Cover Your Cough!
