Ebola

     In light of current growing concerns about public health risks related to the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease from West Africa, the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office is taking a proactive role in screening persons they come in contact with that could have been contaminated with the Ebola virus.

     If a request for an ambulance is made through the Sauk County Communications Center for a patient who has Ebola type symptoms (fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, weakness, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain and lack of appetite, and in some cases bleeding) the dispatcher will be asking if they have visited or been in contact with anyone who has visited any of the West African Countries.  If they say that they have, dispatch will notify the responding EMS Service that the patient is a possible Ebola patient so they can take the necessary precautions to protect responders and to minimize contamination.

     Deputies in the Jail will be conducting a similar screening during their booking process.  Sheriff Chip Meister has prepared an Emergency Preparedness Plan for Ebola for staff and inmates in the event that an outbreak occurs or if someone in their custody is identified as a possible Ebola patient.

     The Sauk County Sheriff’s Office will continue to rely on the Sauk County Emergency Management Department and the Sauk County Public Health Department to obtain the most reliable and up to date information on the Ebola Virus Disease.

Sheriff Chip Meister