**Ebola: Letter from Jeff Smith, County Executive

I am taking excerpts from a letter by Jeff Smith, Santa Clara County Executive

...Please know there is no Ebola in Santa Clara County.  The risk of Ebola infection in our community is extremely low and we mean to keep it that way...

There are a few things that you should know about the current situation:  

 

Ebola only spreads from sick people and is not spread through the air or water.  The virus spreads only by contact with bodily fluids from an infected person.  It is NOT SPREAD by people who have been exposed to the disease but are not yet sick.  In essence, spread of this disease requires very close contact with an infected individual.

...Ambulance providers are now being required to begin all patient interactions by asking those who have a fever whether he or she has traveled to Sierra Leone, Liberia, or Guinea. These are the countries in West Africa where Ebola is currently spreading. 

...Staff at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center are currently screening patients for travel to the West African countries mentioned above and symptoms of a possible Ebola infection, based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations.  

   

REMEMBER THESE EBOLA FACTS

·         There is no Ebola in Santa Clara County or California.

·         Santa Clara County has been preparing and continues to prepare for the extremely unlikely chance that a person in Santa Clara County becomes sick with Ebola.

·         The Santa Clara County Public Health Department has provided information to medical providers and hospitals in our community so that they are informed and prepared.

·         Ebola can only be spread by contact with the bodily fluids of a person who is sick and has symptoms of the disease. The disease is ONLY spread by direct contact with a sick person’s body fluids.