Dear Delawarean,

Because of the diagnosis of individuals in Dallas with Ebola virus and the subsequent intense media coverage, I know that people are concerned. As Delaware’s State Health Officer, I want to help Delawareans separate the facts from fiction and to know what is being done in Delaware in the event that we have the Ebola virus in our state. And I want people to know where to turn if they have concerns or questions.

The tragic epidemic of the Ebola virus infection in West Africa continues to unfold. Particularly affected are the countries of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. Recently, the Ebola virus was transmitted to two nurses from an ill Liberian man in Dallas, Texas. The man subsequently passed away, and the nurses are still hospitalized. The two women contracted the illness due to a combination of direct contact with a severely ill individual and a presumed break in hospital personal protection measures. None of the community contacts of the man who passed away in Dallas became ill, including his family and friends. The other health care workers who treated him are still under observation and will remain so until the 21-day incubation period passes.

Based on currently available information, Ebola virus is only transmitted by patients who have symptoms and the risk of getting the disease through normal, everyday contact is very low. The people being monitored by health officials in other states who came into brief contact with the three ill people in Texas or on an airplane are being monitored as an extra precaution, not because there is a high risk of a genuine large spread of the illness. And, the close family and friends of the man who passed away in Texas were just released from monitoring as the incubation period has passed and no one became ill.

As you move through your day, remember this virus, and many other viruses, can be killed through careful hand washing and alcohol-based sanitizers.

To become ill with Ebola, a person must come into direct contact with blood or bodily fluids of an infected individual. Symptoms of Ebola occur after an incubation period of two to 21 days and include:

• Fever (temperature greater than 100.4°F or 38°C)
• Headache
• Diarrhea
• Vomitting
• Abdominal (stomach) pain
• Unexplained bleeding or bruising
• Muscle pain

The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) has been actively preparing for a potential Ebola illness in Delaware. While the risk is low for Delaware, it is important to be prepared for any situation. DPH has been working with medical providers, hospitals, some employers, EMS, and other partners to ensure they are ready. DPH is particularly focused on ensuring medical partners can immediately recognize a potential case and handle the patient appropriately.

All Delaware hospitals have confirmed the ability to manage Ebola patients. That means they have put in place plans to isolate patients with Ebola, and are training on practices to protect health care workers. If a case is confirmed in Delaware, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) special team will immediately be placed on the ground to help DPH trace any potential contacts whom may also need to be isolated and help to determine if the ill patient should be moved out of state for treatment.

I know Delawareans have questions about what they should do if they suspect a person they encounter might be infected with Ebola virus. First, it is important that we don’t make assumptions that someone might be infected based on their accent, background or skin color, and it is important to remember how hard the disease is to get.

If you or a loved one start to show symptoms you find concerning, call your health care provider. Flu season has started in Delaware. Flu and several travel-related illnesses including malaria, typhoid fever and dengue are much more common than Ebola. The symptoms of all these diseases are very similar.

If you wish to discuss a suspected case, you may contact DPH at 888-295-5156 Monday – Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. or 302-744-4700 after 4:30 p.m., weekends, and holidays. If you have general questions, the CDC has a 24/7 line available for general questions on the Ebola virus and can be reached by calling 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636).

I hope I have helped to address concerns you may have. The attached Ebola Fact Sheet (PDF) is provided for further information.

Karyl Rattay, MD, MS
Director
Delaware Public Health
Department of Health and Social Services

Dover — The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) has reaffirmed that there are no cases of Ebola virus in Delaware. A Kent County child who recently moved from West Africa was evaluated in a hospital for a mild illness over the weekend, but Ebola was ruled out almost immediately as the child had not come in contact with anyone sickened by the Ebola virus. The child also lacked significant symptoms of the disease, and was on the last day of the 21-day incubation period. The child is fully recovered from a mild illness and is expected to be released from the hospital.

Ebola is a very difficult disease to get and may only be transmitted if a person comes in direct contact with the bodily fluids of someone suffering from the symptoms of the Ebola disease. The incubation period, the time in which a person exposed to someone with Ebola will develop the disease, is two to 21 days. The only Ebola case confirmed at a United States hospital is an adult male in Dallas, Texas, who was infected in Liberia.

“Delaware does not have any cases of Ebola,” said Dr. Karyl Rattay, DPH Director. “I appreciate the vigilance of the child’s medical provider to obtain the child’s medical history and alert DPH given the need to carefully evaluate risk for the disease. With global travel, we must always be on alert and ready to screen for such a disease.”

DPH has provided guidance to health care providers and educational institutions, including a message to the public schools today, clearly stating that Delaware has no cases. For further guidance for medical professionals, visit the Delaware Health Alert Network website.  The site contains the medical guidance provided from DPH since the outbreak.

For further information on Ebola virus, visit the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevetion’s Ebola information page.

DPH reminds medical providers to screen for travel history and isolate the patient if Ebola is suspected, and alert the DPH Office of Epidemiology at 888-295-5156 (Monday-Friday: 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.) or 302-744-4700 (after 4:30 p.m., weekends, and holidays).

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person’s spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit delawarerelay.com.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, drink almost no sugary beverages.

WILMINGTON, Del. – On Wednesday, September 10th, Lt. Governor Matt Denn will be in Dover.

He will visit join the staff of BayHealth and others to help them launch a collaborative partnership with Project SEARCH, an international school-to-work program that prepares people with disabilities for full-time employment. Bayhealth’s partners in Project SEARCH are the Capital School District, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Community of Integrated Services, POW&R (Autism Delaware), and the Department of Education.

Project SEARCH was developed in 1996 for young adults, 18 years of age and eligible for the last year of public education, who have significant cognitive disabilities and would benefit from a workforce development program. The Project SEARCH High School Transition Program is a unique, business-led, one year school-to-work program that takes place entirely at the workplace. Total workplace immersion facilitates a seamless combination of classroom instruction, career exploration, and hands-on training through worksite rotations. Students in the Project SEARCH program at BayHealth will attend classes focused on teaching employability skills and rotate through 17 departments at the hospital. The interns have completed their first two weeks of school and have been very busy orienting themselves around the BayHealth campus.

The Lt. Governor will then visit William Henry Middle School in the Capital School District to see the work they are doing with funding they received through the Accelerated Academic Grant program, the new state program that made funds available for programs targeted at academically advanced students. Local school districts and schools applied for start-up grants for programs targeted at students who are at least a half year ahead of grade level based upon current state standards.

The $16,740 they received in funding will permit William Henry Middle School to implement Making Math Matter to identify 5th and 6th grade students from underrepresented groups with the potential for success in advanced math classes and prepare them to qualify for and pass Algebra I in 7th grade.

The program, created through legislation proposed last year by Lieutenant Governor Matt Denn and the chairs of the General Assembly’s education committees, allows school districts to design programs targeted at students who are ahead of grade level in reading, writing, math, science, arts and humanities. $300,000 was allocated to 10 schools/districts for the 2013-14/2014-15 school years.

The program was funded again this year and applications for State Regulation 917 – Accelerated Academic Programs – were shared with schools and are due to the Department of Education by October 1, 2014. Total funding to be allocated for all selected programs is $300,000.00 and is for the 2014-15/2015-16 school years.

This regulation, like last year, directs the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) to seek applications from Delaware school districts, and charter schools that are willing to plan and implement new programs to offer specialized educational services to students who are capable of performing accelerated academic work, or renewing existing programs of the same description whose funding sources are expiring. The Delaware schools selected will be those that can demonstrate through the application process their readiness to implement innovative programs for specifically identified highly able learners. The Delaware Department of Education anticipates selecting elementary, middle and high schools from all counties in the state. These schools will develop programs as exemplary models of gifted education and will be expected to share their challenges and successes with other schools in the state.

Finally, he joins Delaware State EMS Association for their Annual Awards Banquet and Installation of Officers. He will make general remarks before the installation of officers.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

9:00am – 9:45am Project SEARCH Kickoff
Bayhealth Kent General
640 S. State Street
Pavilion Conference Center; 2nd floor Main Lobby
Dover

11:00am – 12:00pm Accelerated Academic Funding School Visit
William Henry Middle School
65 Carver Road
Dover

5:30pm – 7:30pm Delaware State EMS Association Annual Awards Banquet
Dover Downs
Dover

Change will increase grant funding for statewide outdoor recreation programs

Bellevue State Park – Joined by DNREC Secretary David Small, Lewes Mayor Theodore Becker, and Delaware State Parks Director Ray Bivens, as well as state legislators and members of Delaware State Parks and recreational organizations, Governor Jack Markell signed legislation today that will change the structure and management of the Delaware Land and Water Conservation Trust Fund (DTF) and is expected to generate additional funding for outdoor recreation throughout the state. Senate Bill 75 will allow the management of the DTF as an endowment, producing higher yields from the fund’s investments which will continue to be used to fund grants to improve county and municipal parks, trails, playgrounds and other active recreation facilities, and to purchase additional land for outdoor recreation.

“Just as each of us seeks to maximize our income on investments, this legislation enables the state to do the same,” said Governor Jack Markell. “Changing the investment of the DTF from cash to true endowment management is expected to yield greater returns to fund outdoor recreation projects statewide for generations to come.”

The Cash Management Board and Treasurer’s office will remain the custodians and managers of the Fund. The Board’s expertise will provide valuable oversight and direction to strengthen the management of the investment, resulting in increased recreational opportunities statewide.  Since its inception in 1986, DTF has awarded grants to more than 300 projects such as Soroptomist Park in Seaford, Schutte Park in Dover and the James F. Hall National Recreation Trail in Newark.  Grants to county and municipal governments have leveraged over $64.5 million in local and other investments in outdoor recreation.

The endowment investment income is allocated through a formula that provides two-thirds of available funds to DTF grants, and the final third to stewardship projects for DNREC’s Divisions of Fish and Wildlife and Parks and Recreation, Delaware Department of Agriculture for forestry projects, and the Division of Historic and Cultural Affairs.

“Our municipal, county and state parks, trails, state forests and historical and cultural sites are incredible assets to our citizens and visitors and are an important part of our tourism economy, “ said DNREC Secretary David Small. “We need to assure that we are investing in this infrastructure and this legislation will help provide that funding. We appreciate the support from our Parks’ Friends groups which got behind this bill and does so many valuable services and projects for our Parks and our visitors.”

The legislation will increase the effectiveness of the DTF by enabling the state to lower match requirements for municipal and county projects from 50 percent to 25 percent. The bill also establishes an infrastructure account which will provide $1 million annually for improvements in state parks, and fish and wildlife areas statewide.

“Lewes has been the recipient of several Delaware Land and Water Conservation Trust Fund grants over the past 20 years,” said Lewes Mayor Theodore Becker. “These funds have leveraged local, private and foundation resources enabling Lewes to expand recreational opportunities at Smith Park at Blockhouse Pond, Canalfront Park, and a yet-to-be-built trailhead adjacent to the future library.  Once a forlorn and inactive boatyard, Canalfront Park is now a gathering place and a gem along the Lewes & Rehoboth Canal.  DTF grant awards totaling $1.57 million have improved the quality of life for Lewes residents and created great places for visitors.”

Governor Markell was joined at the bill signing by Sen. David McBride – the legislation’s primary sponsor.

“We’ve worked hard to get this legislation through for some time,” said McBride. “Higher returns on the endowment will generate more funding for outdoor recreation projects throughout the state; projects for which there is great need. I want to thank the legislature and Governor Markell for their support of this legislation – a bill we’ve looked forward to for several years.”

“This bill is a big win for everyone involved – the state, our counties and municipalities, especially smaller towns,” said House sponsor, Rep. Debra Heffernan. “We all know that increasing funding to enable more outdoor recreation projects is good for the health of all Delawareans – especially the health of our children. These projects can also bring tourism dollars and many other benefits to our state, without costing Delaware any additional funds.”

Ray Bivens, Director of DNREC’s Division of Parks and Recreation said, “This bill takes a great program and makes it better by giving it tools to fight inflation and be sustainable for generations to come.”

Photos from the event

(Smyrna) – The Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) and the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) will distribute potassium iodide (KI) tablets free of charge to Delaware residents who live or work within 10 miles of the Salem/Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Stations.  KI tablets will be available to those who have received potassium iodide during previous distribution events, and those who have never received potassium iodide. The tablets to be distributed this year will replace the IOSAT 130 mg tablets set to expire beginning September 2014.  KI distribution was conducted on two prior dates this summer.

The final distribution date and location is:

• Thursday, August 28,  9 a.m. – 4 p.m., at Appoquinimink State Service Center, 122 Silver Lake Road, Middletown

KI tablets were supplied to Delaware when the state chose to participate in a program initiated by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The tablets are offered to all states with populations living within a 10-mile radius of a nuclear power facility.

Potassium iodide does not protect against external radiation, but it can help protect the thyroid gland from radioactive iodine that may be released in the event of a radiation emergency and could be ingested or inhaled.  Potassium iodide is a supplement to Delaware’s existing emergency plans developed for use in a nuclear incident.  Evacuation remains the primary method of protecting Delaware residents; the potassium iodide offers additional protection.

In the event of a radiation emergency, state and local officials will inform the public through use of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) radio stations. Information will include directions to evacuation routes and emergency reception centers, and instructions on when to take the potassium iodide tablets.

All Delaware residents who live within the 10-mile EPZ, and those who work or own businesses within 10 miles of the Salem/Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Stations in New Jersey are eligible for free potassium iodide tablets. They are asked to assist in the distribution efforts by following the guidelines included in an informational mailing that was sent in May.

Those eligible for potassium iodide are asked to bring the informational flyer they received in the mail, photo identification such as a driver’s license, or proof of residency, such as a utility bill. Potassium Iodide that has passed the expiration date should be brought when eligible recipients pick up new tablets.

People residing outside of the ten-mile radius of the Salem/Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Stations and who would like to obtain potassium iodide should contact their pharmacist. Potassium iodide is available over the counter in many local pharmacies.

For additional information regarding the potassium iodide distribution program in Delaware, call the Delaware Emergency Management Agency Radiological Emergency Planning section at 302-659-3362.