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US health authorities brace for confusion over flu and Ebola
PUBLISHED : Friday, 31 October, 2014, 10:35pm
UPDATED : Saturday, 01 November, 2014, 4:09am
Agence France-Presse in Washington
Nurse Kaci Hickox defied quarantine for a bike ride. Photo: Reuters
After weeks of Ebola panic, false alarms and quibbles over quarantine in the US, health authorities are bracing for a new battle of the flu season.
The end of October marks the start of influenza season, which can extend well into the spring months.
But this year is different for two reasons. First is the Ebola epidemic in West Africa that spilled into the United States.
The second is the late summer outbreak of enterovirus D68, a respiratory illness that has affected more than 1,100 people in 46 states since August, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
Most areas of the country are reporting a decline in EV-D68, but seven states, including California, are still seeing increases.
There is no vaccine against EV-D68, which has been linked to paralysis and neurological symptoms in a small number of young patients. Nor is there any treatment on the market to cure or prevent Ebola, although experimental vaccines are being fast-tracked.
The prospect of facing all three illnesses in a single season has led the CDC to start a public education campaign to help people understand the risks, and to remind people to have flu vaccine.
"There may be some public concern or confusion between seasonal influenza and Ebola this season," a CDC spokeswoman said. "Flu-like symptoms in US residents this flu season will most likely be caused by seasonal influenza, not Ebola."
Flu and Ebola share symptoms, such as fever, headache, fatigue and aches. But there are big differences. Influenza causes cough, sore throat and runny nose, while Ebola does not.
Ebola leads to vomiting and diarrhoea within three to six days, severe weakness and stomach pain, as well as unexplained bleeding and bruising.
To illustrate these differences, the CDC has issued a pamphlet "Flu or Ebola?" that offers a side-by-side comparison. "Ebola can only be spread by direct contact with blood or bodily fluids," the flyer says.
The CDC recommends an annual flu shot for everyone over six months of age, preferably by the end of October.
Last year, 42 per cent of adults and 59 per cent of children received shots. The CDC said it was too early to have numbers for this year.
Worldwide, the flu infects anywhere from three to five million people a year and kills up to 500,000, according to the World Health Organisation.
The current outbreak of Ebola in West Africa is the world's largest in history, killing more than 4,900 people and infecting more than 13,000 since the beginning of the year.
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US Ebola quarantines have 'chilling effect' on returning aid workers
Quarantines ordered by some US states for doctors and nurses returning from West Africa's Ebola outbreak are creating a "chilling effect" on aid work there, aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres said.
"There is rising anxiety and confusion among MSF staff members in the field over what they may face when they return home upon completion of their assignments in West Africa," said Sophie Delaunay, executive director of MSF in the US.
Some American MSF workers have been delaying their returns and staying in Europe for 21 days, Ebola's incubation period, "in order to avoid facing rising stigmatisation at home", Delaunay said.
"Some people are being discouraged by their families from returning to the field," Delaunay added.
Reuters
