Posted on 10/02/2014 4:34:15 AM PDT by PghBaldy
News Release October 2, 2014
Out of an abundance of caution, Texas and Dallas County health officials have ordered four close family members of the Dallas Ebola patient to stay home and not have any visitors to prevent the potential spread of disease.
“We have tried and true protocols to protect the public and stop the spread of this disease,” said Dr. David Lakey, Texas health commissioner. “This order gives us the ability to monitor the situation in the most meticulous way.”
The local health department had previously instructed the family to stay home, but a strict public health control order is needed to ensure compliance. Ebola is not contagious until symptoms appear. The family members do not have symptoms at this time.
The orders were hand delivered to the family members Wednesday evening by local health officials. The orders legally require the family to stay at home and not have any visitors without approval from the local or state health department until at least Oct. 19. The order is in place until the incubation period has passed and the family is no longer at risk of having the disease.
The order requires the family to be available to provide blood samples and agree to any testing required by public health officials and to immediately report any symptoms to Dallas County Health and Human Services. Symptoms include fever above 100.5 degrees, headache, nausea, diarrhea or abdominal pain.
Texas law allows the state health department and the local health authority to issue control measures to a person who is ill with, has been exposed to, or is the carrier of a communicable disease. (Health and Safety Code §81.083). Control measures by law can include isolation, quarantine and preventive therapy. If a person does not follow these orders, they can be enforced by the courts, and the person can face criminal charges.
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State Health Department Media Contact: Carrie Williams, 512-776-7119, carrie.williams@dshs.state.txus
Dallas County Contact: Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins, 214-653-7949, Clay.Jenkins@dallascounty.org
DSHS Press Office on Twitter
Last updated October 01, 2014
He better hurry, in a month all of the federal judges might be in quarantine...
In fairness to the family, they may not even have been aware that there is an epidemic on the loose in West Africa...This relative of theirs is to blame for this current crisis and they all probably woke up this morning surprised at what is happening...
OWN will never have better ratings...
This is why detainment/quarantine camps will have to be set up if this becomes widespread...
I know I am late to the game, but I don't think these things would prove effective for two reasons: First, a specific exposure time is required, which will be extremely difficult to provide consistently with a hand held device, and two, if the particular pathogen is shielded from the rays, (for example beneath a piece of dust) then the pathogen will not be affected.
BTW: What is the correct name for that other virus making an appearance from S. America? It’s name is something like chickamunga but I don’t think that I have the spelling correct.
Here is the wiki and it discusses uses, advantages, disadvantages, etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet_germicidal_irradiation
UV sanitation has been in use for some time now. It is used by microbial labs to sterilize equipment that can not stand high temperature (boiling, steam or autoclave) or is not viable for chemical sterilization (goggles, certain fixed equipment, etc).
My personal preference would be to use this as a last choice option.
Look for the Dept of Just Us to sue Texas over this.
Then the wide spread spraying we are paying a TAX...FEE for is useless.
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