AMR paramedics on heightened alert for Ebola

American Medical Response in Colorado Springs has stepped up its safety protocols in light of the Ebola outbreak.

The directive comes from CDC and AMR at the national level, according to Douglas Moore, spokesman and EMT in Colorado Springs.

Moore said that paramedics are trained and prepared to take safety precautions if they suspect a patient has Ebola or any other contagious disease.

“If they’re displaying any flu-like symptoms, we’re going to ask them two questions,” Moore said. “One, ‘have you been to West Africa?’ and two, ‘have you been in direct contact with anyone who has Ebola?'”

Since AMR is the largest ambulance provider in the United States, it will most likely be the provider to transport a patient with Ebola. Moore said AMR paramedics are always ready to deal with serious and deadly diseases, including ones that are airborne. Ebola is not an airborne disease. It can only be transmitted through bodily fluids.

“With any patient that we come in contact with who is presenting signs and symptoms that they could be carrying a disease that could be transmitted to somebody else, they’re going to wear a personal protection system,” Moore said.

After the gown, mask, head cover and foot covers are worn, they are disposed of in a bio-hazard container which is eventually incinerated. The ambulance and all its contents are also disinfected.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday that five of America’s busiest airports will step up security measures to screen people for Ebola before they enter the United States.

The U.S. process for now will be in effect at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, Dulles International Airport, Newark Liberty Airport, O’Hare International Airport in Chicago and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The five airports account for 94 percent of travelers entering the U.S. from West Africa.

Through a non-contact thermometer, officials will take the temperatures of every passenger that comes from one of the three affected countries — Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

But there is some concern that the screening doesn’t go far enough to protect U.S. borders. Temperature readings could be inaccurate, those with a fever may not have Ebola and someone with Ebola may not show symptoms of the disease.

There’s also the chance that someone could lie about their travel history.

“If they live in that part of the world, they’re dealing with a terrible crisis and they’re gonna do whatever they have to do to get out of that situation. Which means, yeah, they might try to cheat the system or otherwise game the system to get out of those infected regions and come to an area like the U.S.A.,” said Andrew Price-Smith, associate professor at Colorado College and associate adviser to the National Intelligence Council since 2008.

The first man diagnosed with Ebola on American soil, Thomas Eric Duncan, died Wednesday at a Texas hospital, 10 days after he was admitted.