A person who presents with sudden onset of fever, cough, sore throat, and nasal congestion or rhinorrhea is likely to have influenza or other common respiratory viral diseases. This is especially true if household contacts are sick with similar respiratory illness, so ask about similar illness in family members, household contacts, and close contacts. As we approach the fall/winter respiratory virus season, clinicians should not suspect Ebola virus disease in persons with fever who have not traveled recently to West Africa or those who do not have a history of direct contact with the bodily fluids of a person who was sick or recently died of suspected or confirmed Ebola virus disease. Of course, we do not want to miss any imported cases of Ebola virus disease. However, even though there will likely be some medically evacuated patients and rare sporadic imported cases of Ebola virus disease in the United States over the next year, such cases will remain rare here.

Also, be sure to tell you readers that there is much more information on the CDC website. This is the best single location for updated information about Ebola virus disease and other infectious diseases.

JMH: Thank you again for taking the time to speak with me. I am sure that our members will appreciate your comments and recommendations.

Dr. Hirshon is associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore and a member of the ACEP Board of Directors.

Take Advantage of Free Ebola Courses from ACEP14

ACEP is offering a free education opportunity called “ACEP14 Ebola Courses,” which includes live recordings of the three Ebola talks presented to packed houses at ACEP14. The talks have been repurposed as online CME courses so everyone who cares for patients in emergency departments—not just ACEP members—can watch them free. Each course has a pretest, an audio and slide presentation of the lecture, and a post-test. Each course also is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit.™

The three courses are:

Inside the Hot Zone: Highly Infectious Pathogens in the ED
Which pathogens are most likely to be encountered in the emergency department? Which ones present the greatest risk for health care providers and other personnel? This case-based review includes a discussion of appropriate barrier precautions, personal protective equipment, and department and hospital-based infectious disease transmission precautions.

Ebola: Hemorrhagic Fever and the U.S. Experience
Now that Ebola virus disease has made its way to the United States, everyone who cares for patients in emergency departments must learn more about the risk factors for exposure to the Ebola virus, the clinical features, and considerations for evaluation and management of patients with suspected or confirmed Ebola virus disease. This course highlights the most recent recommendations for out-of-hospital and emergency department health care workers.