While there have been no cases of Ebola reported anywhere in Wisconsin yet, state health officials are trying to ease concerns about the virus. The state Department of Health Services says it’s working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to make sure plans are in place, in the event a patient infected with the Ebola virus appears in Wisconsin.
State Health Officer Karen McKeown notes the infrastructure needed to respond to this type of threat has been in place for many years, thanks to efforts to plan, prepare, and drill for possible pandemics. She says the agency “is collaborating closely with those partners, including local public health, the Wisconsin Hospital Association, the Wisconsin Medical Society, providers throughout the state, and many others, to make sure a patient would be identified quickly and treated appropriately.”
Even though they are ready, McKeown says the chances of an Ebola infection appearing in Wisconsin are quite low. Despite that, she says they still “want to make sure we are fully prepared, that our partners are ready, should that patient present.”
DHS officials say they are communicating with the CDC for current developments and guidelines, which are then shared with local health departments and providers across the state.