Ebola in America

Aware and Prepared

By Erica Rascón on Oct 28, 2014 in News

With the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimating a potential 1.4 million Ebola hemorrhagic fever cases in West Africa by January 2015 and countless more abroad, it’s worthwhile to investigate how property managers should handle any potential cases at properties in their area.

Perspective While Ebola is a serious concern, it is far from a large-scale emergency outside of West Africa. Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have reported the most cases in 2014. To date, there have only been nine confirmed cases of Ebola in the US, with one fatality, six recoveries, and the remainder currently in recovery.  That’s less than 1/2,000,000^th of the population currently at risk. While it is a small percentage for sure, it’s not one to be ignored.

Educating Residents Well-educated residents can make the most informed decisions about their own health and well-being. This is important because individuals know their travel history, social sphere, and can evaluate their own health much better than you can from the office. Post helpful information in a visible place within your leasing office:

According to the CDC, “Ebola is only contagious if the person is experiencing active symptoms.” Active symptoms include fever (greater than 101.5°F), severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and unexplained bleeding or bruising. These symptoms will occur anywhere from two to 21 days from exposure with most symptoms occurring within in the first week or so.

Residents displaying multiple symptoms should contact health officials particularly if:

1. The have traveled to the aforementioned West African nations within the last few weeks.
2. They have experienced direct contact with the blood, excrement, saliva, urine, vomit, sweat, breast milk or semen of a person who is sick with Ebola.
3. They have participated in a ritual (traditional burial) of a person who has died from the virus and they have had direct contact with the corpse.

Remember, Ebola is transmitted through bodily fluids, infected corpses, and the meat of infected animals. Currently, there are no reports of tainted meat within the US. The Ebola virus is not airborne.

Taking Action

The CDC currently does not have a confirmed list of hospitals that are best equipped to handle Ebola cases. As a rule of thumb, regional hospitals will be better quipped and better educated than local clinics or centers.

In a growing number of states, returning travelers may be quarantined in their homes on your property. Management can expect monitoring by local officials and frequent visits by medical personnel though specific details are still unclear.  The presence of a quarantined resident may make neighbors uncomfortable. Property managers are reminded that fair housing laws remain intact.

For guidance when dealing with a resident with a confirmed case of the virus, a document released by The National Apartment Association (NAA) recommends contacting NAA’s Vice President of Communications and Marketing, Becky Sullivan, at [email protected].

There is no cure for Ebola hemorrhagic fever, through early detection can help patients recover. Those who recover from ebola develop antibodies that last for 10 years or more.