Archived Outbreak Information - 2014
This information is no longer being updated.
Ebola Monitoring
(As of 7/13/2015)Confirmed cases: 0
People under monitoring: 6
All in Portland Metro area
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June 16, 2015
Update: As of June 17, 2015, Oregon will discontinue active monitoring for travelers returning from Liberia, unless the travelers have other risk factors for Ebola within the past 21 days. Travelers returning from Liberia will be asked to watch their health for 21 days after leaving Liberia and to contact their local health department and seek appropriate medical care if they have a fever or other symptoms consistent with Ebola. The screening and monitoring program for travelers from Guinea and Sierra Leone is unchanged.
May 11, 2015
Update: May 9 marked 42 days without Ebola cases in Liberia and the World Health Organization declared Liberia Ebola-free. We will continue to monitor returned travelers from Liberia as usual. CDC is reviewing potential changes and will share more information when it is available.
January 6, 2015
Update: As of January 6, travelers from Mali no longer need to be screened or monitored for Ebola.
Read CDC's fact sheet on screening and monitoring travelers to prevent the spread of Ebola.
November 18, 2014
Update: As of November 17, people arriving in the United States whose travel began in Mali will be monitored in the same way as travelers from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. This includes working with public health officials to monitor travelers' health for 21 days after last possible Ebola exposure.
Learn more at CDC's website.
November 5, 2014
Update: Oregon Public Health is following federal CDC guidance for monitoring and movement of people with potential Ebola virus exposure.
November 2, 2014
Update: Ebola ruled out for low-risk patient at Providence Milwaukie Hospital; care in isolation continues. On Sunday afternoon, November 2, federal, state and county health leaders and caregivers at Providence Health & Services announced that a patient under monitoring in the Portland area tested negative for Ebola.
"We're relieved to report there are no cases of Ebola in Oregon and the CDC has advised us that no further testing is required,” said Dr. Katrina Hedberg, state health officer. "In this case, the system worked well and our preparations had a satisfactory outcome."
"This is good news for our patient, her family and her friends," said Dave Underriner, chief executive for Providence in Oregon. "It’s also a reflection of the outstanding care provided by our specially trained teams here at Providence."
Out of respect for the patient’s privacy, no additional information on her condition or potential release is available at this time.
The Oregon Health Authority, Multnomah County Health Department and the hospital system worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ensure the patient’s safety as well as protecting healthcare workers and the entire community.
Dr. Paul Lewis, tri-county health officer, said, "We want to especially thank the frontline public health workers, the emergency medical service first responders and the Providence Health & Services employees who evaluated, transported and safely cared for this individual."
As of Sunday, November 2, five people statewide are working with public health officials to monitor their health because of recent travel history to Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea. Four people are in the Portland metro area and one is in southern Oregon. The state of Oregon said these individuals present no risk to the community. Ebola is not contagious until symptoms appear.
Ebola is a severe, often fatal disease. Early symptoms of Ebola include sudden fever, fatigue and headache. Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure. Ebola is spread through direct contact with blood, secretions or other bodily fluids or exposure to contaminated objects, such as needles.
November 1, 2014
Statement from the Oregon Health Authority
State and county public health officials are coordinating with Providence Health & Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention around a patient hospitalized in Portland on October 31 for possible Ebola. The patient, who was working with Oregon public health based on travel history, was hospitalized after registering a temperature. The public is not at risk as the patient was isolated. The individual is being cared for at one of six health centers designated for a possible Ebola case. People with questions about Ebola can call 211 or email ebola.oregon@dhsoha.state.or.us.
Updates from Providence Health & Services
October 31, 2014
Press release: Person under monitoring for Ebola hospitalized, media availability today at 3 p.m.
The individual has been isolated, and is no danger to the public.
October 29, 2014
Update: Oregon Public Health is following federal CDC guidance for monitoring and movement of people with potential Ebola virus exposure.
October 28, 2014
Press release
Governor Kitzhaber joins health partners to discuss statewide Ebola preparedness, announces six health systems that will serve as referral centers. (Source: Governor's Office)
October 27, 2014
Press release
Oregon leaders in health and health care to provide briefing on Ebola preparedness
Press briefing
Governor John Kitzhaber, MD; George Brown, MD; Katy Cooper, RN; Sharon Meieran, MD; Paul Lewis, MD; Katrina Hedberg, MD
October 15, 2014
Update: The Public Health Division (PHD) of the Oregon Health Authority has established an Incident Management Team (IMT) to address the ongoing Ebola situation.
The primary focus of the IMT at this time is to:
- Address risk communications with partners,
- Review planning relating to communicable diseases protocols, and
- Provide both federal and state guidance as required.
PHD is working with a variety of partners including the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC), local health departments, the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, the Port of Portland, the Oregon Nurses Association and the Oregon National Guard. Ebola is a concerning disease, and the chance of it reaching Oregon is low. Health officials are ready to respond in the event that a person ill with Ebola infection arrives in Oregon. We are sharing information with the public health and medical communities so we will be ready to get ill people into proper care and prevent infection of others. PHD’s first priority is to protect the health of all Oregonians, using tried and true core public health interventions.
Press conference
Dr. Paul Cieslak and Dr. Paul Lewis
October 1, 2014
Press release
State health officials prepared for Ebola, but infection risk is low
Press conference
Dr. Katrina Hedberg and Dr. Genevieve Buser