Beginning Monday, travelers arriving in Pennsylvania from West Africa will undergo twice-daily monitoring for Ebola symptoms for 21 days, with county and municipal health departments responsible for travelers entering their jurisdictions.

Health officials, including those with the Allegheny County Health Department, have been briefed on the protocol and “are ready,” said State Department of Health spokeswoman Aimee Tysarczyk.

“Also beginning Monday, the department will be posting statewide updates concerning the number of individuals (from Africa) on our website,” she said, noting updates will be posted every Monday. County by county information won’t be available on its website.

County Health Director Karen Hacker said her staff is experienced in monitoring people with or potentially in contact with those who have communicable diseases. “But we’re not usually doing active monitoring of people who are asymptomatic or have had no exposure,” she said. “That said, we will use the same techniques we would be using to track anyone who has had contact with an infectious disease.”

As of today, she said, no travelers from Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea have arrived in Allegheny County. State health officials will monitor travelers in counties without health departments.

Upon arrival to one of the five designated airports in the United States, travelers from those nations will be assigned a risk category based on their exposure.

Each health department will use a “passenger symptom follow-up diary” to track the traveler’s temperature and whether they develop smptoms typical of Ebola infection, including chills, weakness, headaches, joint or muscle aches, abdominal or stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting, unexplained bleeding or lack of appetite, among others.

Travelers who had no contact with Ebola will not face travel restrictions, as long as they remain asymptomatic. If individuals had possible exposure to Ebola, their travel will be restricted, and they will be instructed not to use commercial travel methods including planes, buses or trains, the protocol states.

Respective health departments will decide whether to do twice-a-day monitoring by phone, Skype or in-person. Dr. Hacker said the county likely will use phones or Skype, but pay people a visit if they lose contact with them. “We have the responsibility to protect the individual and the public health,” she said.

The protocol could change as more information becomes available from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

”We will continue to make adjustments should any protocols change across the board, and we will provide that information to our public health partners, as well as the media,“ Ms. Tsarczyk said.

David Templeton: dtempleton@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1578. That State Department of Health website is: http://www.health.state.pa.us.

State, county and municipal health officials, including the Allegheny County Health Department, already have been briefed on the protocol and “are ready,” said State Department of Health spokeswoman Aimee Tysarczyk.

“Also beginning Monday, the department will be posting a statewide update concerning the number of individuals (from Africa) on our website,” she said, noting updates will be available every Monday. County-by-county information will not be available on the website.

State health officials will monitor travelers in counties that don’t have their own health departments.

Upon arrival to one of the five designated airports in the United States, travelers from Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea will be required to take their own temperature twice a day and report results to health officials, and report any other symptoms typical of Ebola infection.

Such symptoms can include chills, weakness, headaches, joint or muscle aches, abdominal or stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and unexplained bleeding or lack of appetite, among others.

Each municipality or county will use a “passenger symptom follow-up diary” to track information twice daily.

The travelers also will be asked about their travel plans within the 21-day period, so that monitoring can continue uninterrupted. Their travels will not be restricted as long as they show no symptoms.

“If individuals had possible exposures to Ebola, their travel will be restricted, and they will be instructed not to use commercial travel methods including planes, buses or trains,” Ms. Tysarczyk reported.

The monitoring process will be done by phone, Skype or in-person, as determined by the respective health departments. Ms. Tysarczyk said the monitoring process remains fluid as state officials receive updates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other states where monitoring is required.

”We will continue to make adjustments should any protocols change across the board, and we will provide that information to our public health partners, as well as the media,“ she said.

David Templeton: dtempleton@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1578.

First Published: October 24, 2014, 6:02 p.m.
Updated: October 25, 2014, 3:36 a.m.