The Town of Old Lyme’s Health Director Dr. Vijay Sikand has issued some informational directives for residents regarding the current outbreaks of Ebola and Enterovirus D68 as follows:
Ebola is a rare but potentially deadly disease caused by a virus that is spread by direct contact with a sick person’s blood or body fluids. There is presently a widespread outbreak in West Africa and one person who traveled to the USA from Liberia has died of Ebola after contact with a patient before traveling to Dallas. Public health authorities and hospitals are implementing procedures to identify and prevent Ebola from spreading to the USA.
For more information, click on the following link: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/index.html
There is presently a nationwide outbreak of infection with the Enterovirus D68 (EVD68) that may cause severe respiratory illness in children, especially those with asthma or other underlying chronic disease. It is most common in the summer and fall, so we are currently within the latter part of the transmission season. EVD68 is spread from person to person from coughs, sneezes or contact with a surface recently touched by others.
For further information about how to protect yourself and recognize the symptoms, click on the following link: http://www.cdc.gov/non-polio-enterovirus/about/EV-D68.html