{"337491":{"#nid":"337491","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Department of Health Offers Ebola Response Guidelines for Universities","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs Ebola cases continue to be reported in numerous countries, government agencies continue to take steps toward being better prepared to combat the virus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Governor Nathan Deal signed an executive order Oct. 20 to establish a team of local experts, including representatives from the University System of Georgia, to issue recommendations on the virus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Department of Public Health has also offered guidance to colleges and universities on precautions to take regarding Ebola.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBe aware of students and their families, faculty, staff members, and visitors who have traveled to Ebola-affected West African countries, including Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, within the previous 21 days.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EKnow the signs and symptoms of Ebola, which may appear anywhere from 2\u201321 days after exposure. These include:\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EFever (including low-grade)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESevere headache\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMuscle pain\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EWeakness\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDiarrhea\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EVomiting\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAbdominal pain\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EUnexplained, unusual bleeding or bruising\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EIf someone presents to your campus health clinic with a fever, immediately ask if he or she has traveled to or come into contact with someone who has traveled to an Ebola-affected region.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EIf you encounter individuals you believe meet the case definition described in (1) and (2) or (3), immediately separate the individual from contact with others, and report it to the Department of Public Health (DPH) at 1-866-PUB-HLTH or the DPH Epidemiology section at 404-657-2588.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EHand washing is still the best, most effective method at your disposal to protect you from the spread of infectious disease.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe 2014 Ebola epidemic is the largest in history, affecting multiple countries in West Africa. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and partners are taking precautions to prevent the further spread of Ebola within the U.S. by working with other government agencies, the World Health Organization, and other domestic and international partners. This includes implementing enhanced entry screening at five U.S. airports that receive over 94 percent of travelers from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStill, Tech faculty offer the reminder that, although Ebola is dangerous, Americans are more likely to become hospitalized, or even die, from many other illnesses, such as influenza. Professors Ozlem Ergun, Pinar Keskinocak, and Julie Swann wrote \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/amplifier.gatech.edu\/articles\/2014\/10\/ebola-scary-other-diseases-can-be-scarier\u0022\u003Ea joint blog post\u003C\/a\u003E on the topic at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/amplifier.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eamplifier.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E on Oct. 21.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFor Ebola, you should direct what resources you can to Africa out of compassion and a concern for further spread,\u201d they said. \u201cBut for yourself, you should take simple measures like getting appropriate vaccinations to reduce the impact of diseases that are much more likely to affect you and your family.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStamps Health Services continues to offer flu vaccines to Tech employees for $25. Upcoming flu clinics will take place Nov. 4, Nov. 18, and Dec. 2. More information is available at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.health.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ewww.health.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EState encourages people to know the symptoms. Tech faculty provide insight on other public health concerns.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"State encourages people to know the symptoms. Tech faculty provide insight on other public health concerns."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2014-10-27 15:33:34","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:17:19","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-10-27T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2014-10-27T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/amplifier.gatech.edu\/articles\/2014\/10\/ebola-scary-other-diseases-can-be-scarier","title":"Amplifier: Ebola is scary, but other diseases can be scarier"}],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"107501","name":"amplifier"},{"id":"13022","name":"Ebola"},{"id":"755","name":"public health"},{"id":"4152","name":"whistle"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}