Local risk of getting virus is VERY LOW Published Oct. 23, 2014 By Col. Christopher Azzano 72nd Air Base Wing and Tinker Installation Commander TINKER AIR FORCE BASE - Okla. -- The health and safety of every member of Team Tinker is our highest priority. Ebola is a deadly disease and we must remain vigilant to prevent transmission of the virus. At the present time, the local risk of infection is VERY LOW. There have been questions about the risk of transmission of the Ebola virus on the Cruise Ship Magic. The passenger who has been the subject of much media coverage is a laboratory worker from Texas Health Presbyterian. She was free of symptoms during the entire 21-day incubation period established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As an additional precaution, this individual was tested for the Ebola virus and the results were negative. For this reason, we believe there is no risk of infection from passengers who were on the Cruise Ship Magic the same time as the laboratory worker. Refer to the Oklahoma State Department of Health Memo dated Oct. 20 (page 4a). Risks Currently we are at VERY LOW risk for Ebola virus exposure in the Oklahoma City area. Risk factors for Ebola include the following: · Travel to an area of current outbreak (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone) · Direct contact with blood or body fluids of someone diagnosed with Ebola · Contact with objects contaminated by a person diagnosed with Ebola Note, Ebola is NOT an airborne disease. Symptoms Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain and malaise. Later symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and bleeding. These can also be symptoms of the seasonal flu. A medical professional's assessment of the risk factors listed above will determine if further evaluation is necessary. Prevention Hand washing is the first line of defense. Furthermore, it is recommended that everyone obtain a flu vaccination since many of the symptoms of the flu mirror those of Ebola, which could make accurate diagnosis of either disease more challenging. Your primary care manager or local pharmacy can provide the flu vaccine. Response Should a situation arise where someone with Ebola type symptoms seeks medical care, the Tinker Medical Clinic and all local hospitals have detailed response plans in place to isolate, monitor and secure proper treatment. Overall, Tinker has an extensive disease containment plan designed to protect the installation workforce and families while maintaining the capability to conduct our vital National Defense missions. Summary The health and safety of Team Tinker is our top priority. Health professionals, both civilian and military, are continually working with the latest information to ensure we have an accurate risk assessment and can proactively respond to the evaluation and care of a potential Ebola patient, if needed. The following websites can answer many questions and concerns regarding Ebola: · Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola · Oklahoma State Department of Health: www.ebola.health.ok.gov · OSHA: www.osha.gov/SLTC/ ebola/index.html For other questions regarding Ebola, call the 72nd Medical Group Public Health office at 582-6542 during duty hours, or your primary care manager. We will continue to update Team Tinker as information or risk level changes.