Beltrami County leaders discuss Ebola response

BEMIDJI -- How will the global pandemic of Ebola affect Beltrami County? Chances are it won't.

Beltrami County Emergency Management Director Chris Muller presented commissioners with information on Ebola at Tuesday's county board meeting.

Muller said while the 2014 Ebola epidemic is possibly the worst in history, the risk of catching Ebola in the general public is extremely low. Muller added it is very unlikely Ebola will affect Beltrami County.

"Ebola, just sounds scary, the first thing you think of is death and people dying," Muller said. "It was really brought to my attention we need to do a better job of explaining what Ebola is."

Beltrami County Administrator Kay Mack said Muller was invited to present Tuesday because the county does not want to appear sensationalist nor do they want to appear to be turning their heads on the topic of Ebola.

"It really is to give the community the signal that all the disciplines are talking, all the jurisdictions and key stakeholders are talking and it and we just are prepared," Mack said.

Muller said Ebola is spread from person to person through direct contact with bodily fluids and mucous membranes and can only be contracted when a person is exhibiting symptoms. Symptoms of Ebola are fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pains, loss of appetite and abdominal bleeding. The incubation of Ebola is two to 21 days and most people exhibit symptoms in eight to 10 days. The mortality rate for those infected with Ebola is 50 to 90 percent.

"It's kind of scary that we've never had a case in the U.S. before and now it's happened in Texas," Beltrami County Commissioner Jim Lucachick said.

Muller noted it is important to know we know how to stop the spread of Ebola. Through proper materials handling and quarantine, some infected areas have overcome Ebola.

"Nigeria was just declared Ebola free," Muller said. "The truth is we know how to stop the spreading."

Ebola was first discovered in the Republic of Congo in 1976. Muller said the source of how animals contracted the virus is unknown but humans first came into contact with Ebola through wild animals and it has been spread by human to human transfer since that first contact.

Muller said people need to avoid exposure to contaminated objects and surfaces. Prevention of Ebola includes washing hands often with soap and water, using an alcohol based hand sanitizer, don't touch blood or bodily fluids of sick people, don't handle items that may have come into contact with a sick person's blood or bodily fluids and don't touch the body of a person who has died of Ebola.

Beltrami County Commissioner Joe Vene pointed out there is a more local illness the public needs to consider. Vene said we're in the middle of flu season and we ought to pay more attention to that than Ebola since Ebola is bodily contact whereas the flu is airborne.

"Look at what is real and pressing versus perhaps what is not as concerning as we once thought," Vene said.

Muller said flu will be gaining strength and spreading in the coming months when people are retreating indoors.

"The chances of getting the flu are exponentially larger than getting Ebola," Muller said.

Beltrami County Public Health and Human Services Director Becky Secore said flu vaccines are available in the county family health department in the WIC office for people who are uninsured, underinsured or with insurance. The WIC office is located in the Community Services Center at 616 America Ave. NW in Bemidji. The office can be reached by phone at (218) 333-8140.

Muller explained during the past year the county has experience a range of emergency management situations including extreme cold and a propane shortage in January and torrential rains in June.

The Beltrami County Board of Commissioners will meet next Nov. 3, a day earlier than normal because of the Nov. 4 election.