Alameda County and local hospitals outline Ebola screening, isolation and training plans

Alameda County public health leaders and representatives from local hospitals briefed the Board of Supervisors on Oct. 28 about Ebola preparedness, outlining screening, isolation, laboratory and training steps the county and health systems have taken.

Dr. Erica Pan, the county’s deputy health officer, told the board that Ebola is spread by direct contact with bodily fluids and that people are infectious only once symptomatic. She reviewed the 21-day window for symptom onset after exposure and described airport- and CDC-led screening measures that now route travelers from the three affected West African countries through five U.S. airports. "If the answer to [have you touched bodily fluids] is no, you do not have Ebola," she said in a brief quiz for the room.

County staff said the public-health department has reconstituted its communicable disease division with targeted county funds and is on weekly conference calls with the CDC and state; they described an incident command partial activation to handle incoming inquiries and noted close coordination with hospitals, EMS, airports and Bay Area health departments. The county said its public health laboratory is certified and can package and courier suspect specimens to Los Angeles or the CDC; the state lab in Richmond was expected to expand testing capacity.

Hospital representatives described operational readiness. Kinsey Richault of Alameda Health System said the system has been practicing screening and isolating suspected cases and training staff in personal protective equipment consistent with CDC guidance. Dr. Brian Lee of Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland described setting up enhanced isolation areas and an internal incident command, training donning/doffing procedures and running simulation exercises. Michael Allerton of Kaiser Permanente Northern California described “identify, isolate, escalate, protect” procedures, intensive staff training and member outreach.

Supervisors asked about airport screening, tabletop and full-scale exercises (panelists said a tabletop had occurred in early October and a larger, full-scale exercise was scheduled for Nov. 20). Panelists also said local hospitals will screen and isolate suspect patients and coordinate transfers to designated Ebola treatment centers such as UCSF for confirmed cases. The county indicated it has legal authority for isolation and quarantine and is reviewing CDC guidance with Bay Area partners.

No formal board action was taken; county and system leaders said they will continue coordination, training and public advisories.