The Fort Lewis College Health Center sent an email to the FLC community on Oct. 3, informing the community of basic information about Ebola.
Raising Awareness
The email was sent primarily as a means of creating awareness of the virus on a campus where international travel is a part of the student activity, Rene Klotz, the director of the FLC Health Center, said.
“We are just putting that awareness there and letting the campus know that there are resources to consult if they develop any symptoms,” Klotz said.
The email included a brief summary of information about Ebola and the protocol to follow if you are concerned about having contracted the virus.
Students have not expressed any concern about the disease to the health center, Klotz said.
PJ Hall, a student at FLC, said he is unaware of what the protocol would be if Ebola were to become a problem on campus.
Protocol for Treatment
The protocol for dealing with the disease at the health center is based on recommendations from the Center for Disease Control, Klotz said.
“What we’ve been told to do is to call the health department and triage that way to find out what our next steps would be,” she said.
Although she hopes a student displaying symptoms of the disease would call the health center first, the facility is prepared with protective equipment if an infected student were to go there, Klotz said.
There is no way of telling what the likelihood is of this disease reaching Durango, she said.
“Hopefully, we don’t see it,” she said.
The American College of Health Association sent out a lot of information about the virus, so other colleges have it on their radar and are similarly creating awareness, Klotz said.
Internal
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Health Center: http://www.fortlewis.edu/healthcenter/
External:
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CDC Ebola Info: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/
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NY Times Chances of Ebola Spreading: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/07/31/world/africa/ebola-virus-outbreak-qa.html?_r=0