Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is no longer monitoring travelers returning from the West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia for symptoms of Ebola virus disease.
All three formerly affected West African countries have now been declared Ebola-free after the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in Guinea over on Dec. 29, 2015.
“Public Health has worked diligently to ensure that local communities were protected,” said Jeffrey Gunzenhauser, MD, MPH, Interim Health Officer for Los Angeles County.
“Public Health in collaboration with hospitals, agencies and other departments proactively prepared for potential Ebola cases entering the County. While no Ebola cases occurred in Los Angeles County, all of this work has been important because ensuring the safety of the people of Los Angeles County is our top priority. I would like to express our gratitude for the exceptional support we received from everyone involved.”
Public Health also applauds the tremendous, brave and extraordinary work of all the health care workers who cared for people infected with Ebola and contributed to stopping its spread.
Since Public Health began monitoring travelers returning from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea in Oct. 2014, 249 travelers have been monitored in Los Angeles County. No cases of Ebola in the County were identified during this time.
People who had traveled from an affected country were monitored by Public Health for 21 days, and if they had an illness with fever or other signs of infection, Public Health worked with local clinicians to assure that an appropriate evaluation was completed, including, if indicated, a test for Ebola.
This experience, along with the plans and partnerships that were established, helps ensure that Los Angeles County will be ready in the event of any future emerging infectious diseases.
“Hospitals and health care providers are now more prepared to respond to these types of outbreaks,” said Dr. Gunzenhauser.
“Los Angeles County now has a network that can safely transport and care for persons with Ebola or other contagious diseases. Public Health continues to emphasize the critical importance of always obtaining a travel history from patients presenting with fever and/or other infectious disease symptoms as they could be caused by other severe or new infectious diseases.”
The West Africa Ebola outbreak started Dec. 2013 and infected 28,640 people, of whom 11,315 died. It has been the largest Ebola outbreak in history.
Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization, Public Health stopped monitoring travelers from Liberia on Sept. 3, 2015 and from Sierra Leone on Nov. 7, 2015 after those countries were declared free of Ebola.
The Department of Public Health is committed to protecting and improving the health of the nearly 10 million residents of Los Angeles County. Through a variety of programs, community partnerships and services, Public Health oversees environmental health, disease control, and community and family health.
Public Health comprises nearly 4,000 employees and has an annual budget exceeding $900 million. To learn more about the LA County Department of Public Health and the work they do, visit PublicHealth.LACounty.gov, and follow Public Health on social media at twitter.com/LAPublicHealth, facebook.com/LAPublicHealth, and youtube.com/LAPublicHealth.