Your Strategy

Now you know how to create an effective sick room and how to keep it disinfected. At this stage, you should be accumulating supplies to furnish it and to disinfect items properly that will be used in the care of the Ebola patient.

Luckily, at the time of this writing, no community‑

wide outbreaks have occurred in the United States. In the uncertain future, however, a true epidemic of Ebola or another infectious disease may arrive in your town. What should be your strategy in the event that multiple cases spring up in your area? What are some things you can do now to be ready?

The situation in Dallas should give you an indication of the level of vigilance that you should adopt. In Dallas, the only individuals to have contracted the disease from patient Thomas Duncan have been health‑care workers who were in close proximity or handling his bodily fluids. So far, no casual contacts appear to have come down with the disease.

In this situation, the alert level for you, as an average person, is relatively low. You are unlikely to be involved in the care of an Ebola patient. No cases are turning up in the neighborhood. There are still hospitals with open beds, and efforts are being made to correct errors made in the care of the victims.

BEFORE THE YOU‑KNOW‑WHAT HITS THE FAN

What should you do right now to decrease your chances of catching infections and staying healthy? This applies to Ebola, but also goes for influenza or whatever the next epidemic candidate might be.

Wash your hands. Good hand hygiene will result in your being less likely to be infected with any infectious disease. When I say this, I mean washing your hands frequently. Over the course of a typical day, I’d like you to keep a running count of how many times you do this every day. Did you wash your hands every time you used a restroom? After you ate? After you shook hands with someone? After opening a door? Few people can say that they did. Certainly, this can amount to many hand washings a day.

The benefits of frequent hand washing (or using alcohol‑

based hand sanitizer) can hardly be denied. Concerned about getting dry hands? Use hand lotion. It may be an annoyance but it’s much better than getting sick.

This is simple advice, but it isn’t easy to get into the habit of frequent hand washing. Use common sense, and you’ll realize how important it is to decrease the viral or bacterial count on your hands. Hand washing should be a developmental milestone for kids on the same level as toilet training.

Keep your hands off your face. Piece of cake, right? I doubt it. Observe one of your kids or friends for a half hour and count the times they touch their face with their hands. I’ll bet you’d be surprised how often it happens. Each time is an opportunity for a disease‑causing organism to get in your mouth, nose, or eyes.

Don’t touch door handles with bare hands. After a trip to the restroom, use a paper towel, if available, to open the door as you leave. Bathroom door handles are loaded with germs. Throw the paper towel away as soon as you exit.

Boost your immune system. Eat healthily, avoid stress, get enough sleep, and stay fit. People who can accomplish these four things are in a lot better shape to resist infectious diseases. Some folks will take supplements of vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, or selenium, all known to strengthen your immune system.

TIP

Don’t touch door handles with bare hands. After a trip to the restroom, use a paper towel, if available, to open the door as you leave. Bathroom door handles are loaded with germs. Throw the paper towel away as soon as you exit.

Make a plan of action. While things are still stable, figure out what you would do if you were in the midst of a full‑blown epidemic. As previously mentioned, you should be mapping out that sick room. You should be accumulating supplies. If the going gets rough, you should be ready to get going.