At UC Irvine, a panel of experts addressed a crowd of more than 700, discussing the science, politics, economics and, above all, the fear surrounding the Ebola virus.

That was Monday night. The morning after, Orange County health officials said they are monitoring the health of two county residents who traveled recently to West Africa. The news marks the first time health workers in Orange County have looked for Ebola.

Neither traveler will be subjected to isolation or quarantine, but they will be monitored for 21 days and will report their temperature twice daily, said Deanne Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Health Agency. Health officials also will conduct home visits, Thompson said.

That kind of news, and growing national concern over Ebola, is what prompted UCI to host Monday’s panel discussion, “Ebola: What You Should Know,” said Andrew Noymer, associate professor of UCI’s Public Health Program.

The talk, held in UCI’s biggest meeting room, touched on public policy, science and emotion.

THE PANIC

What makes Ebola panic-worthy?

Ebola is deadly, Noymer said, and people associate deadliness with ease of transmission.

Still, other diseases, including flu and West Nile, can be deadly too, and both are far more common than Ebola. But they don’t typically generate panic.

Part of the difference, Noymer said, is that Ebola is an exotic disease (it’s named after the Ebola River, a tributary of the Congo) and people have little experience with it.

“It’s the fear of the unknown. The only way to curb this panic and hysteria is getting the right information out there and building up awareness.”

Noymer and others on the panel pointed out a simple fact: Ebola is infectious, but not highly contagious.

Spreading such information is also the only way to avoid Ebola stigma, said Brandon Brown, assistant professor at UCI and director of the Global Health Initiative.

“There is going to be fear and stigma with anything new. We had it with HIV and the gay community,” Brown said. “Now, it’s doctors and nurses who are going to West Africa to help Ebola patients.

“These people should be getting a hero’s welcome, but they’re not.”

Last week, 33-year-old Craig Spencer was diagnosed with Ebola after returning to New York City on Oct. 17 from Guinea, where he spent time working with Ebola patients. Kaci Hickox, a nurse who spent a month in Sierra Leone, was quarantined briefly in New Jersey before being allowed to go home to Maine.

“If we continue to panic and take these measures, doctors and nurses who are much needed in West Africa won’t want to go,” said Carolyn Boyd, an Irvine resident who attended the UCI event. “Making people more fearful is not the solution.”

Kathryn Frost, an Irvine resident, said she was reassured after listening to the experts Monday.

“I’m comforted to know that the disease is not as contagious as I thought it was.”

PREPAREDNESS IN ORANGE COUNTY

All five University of California medical centers, including UC Irvine, are prepared to treat Ebola patients, the California Department of Public Health has announced. Last week, UCI trained 50 staff members for Ebola response, and more than 100 are expected to be trained by the end of this week, said hospital spokesman John Murray.

Training extends from medical personnel, such as doctors and nurses, to housekeepers, therapists and reception workers – anybody who might come in contact with a patient, Murray said.

Costs, for now, aren’t part of the equation, he said.

“Our goal is to make sure we are fully prepared should we get any Ebola cases or suspected cases.”

But Joy Valdellon, a registered nurse at UCI Medical Center who attended Monday’s event, said she is not comfortable with the level of training and protective equipment being provided to nurses. She believes training should be standardized and extended to all nurses.

“Otherwise, (the hospital) is putting us, our families and our communities, at risk,” she said.

Murray said Valdellon was not being trained because Ebola patients would not come through the outpatient surgery center.

“We have screening procedures in place where we are asking for patients’ travel history,” he said.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7909 or dbharath@ocregister.com
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/ebola-640114-uci-health.html