Ebola and the workplace

The chances of catching Ebola in the U.S. are slim. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ebola is only transmitted through contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person, and this can only happen after the person begins showing symptoms. Generally, casual contact is not enough to transmit the disease. The chances of a major epidemic in the U.S. are therefore small. Even if someone has traveled through West Africa and visited sites where the virus has been most active, the chances of getting the disease is minimal because it can only be transmitted through very direct contact.

The current strategy is essentially to monitor where workers are traveling and make sure they get checked up before they return to their jobs. Additionally, according to Robert Quigley, U.S. medical director and senior vice president of medical assistance for International SOS, employers should have a task force that ensures clearance-checks to go back to work are regularly enforced. Because diseases are constantly evolving and changing, the risk factors change as well. Best practices for one epidemic may not be suitable for use with another.

Preparing for Ebola
On the off chance that the Ebola virus proves to become a major issue for U.S. citizens, the Society for Human Resource Management examined some of the key issues employers should be aware of when it comes to handling people who are returning to work from places in West Africa where the disease is currently spreading.

The major concern, then, SHRM cited, is for companies in the health care industries in which doctors or other staff members will work with patients who might be contagious but are showing symptoms that initially look like other diseases, such as malaria, cholera, plague or typhoid fever.

Protecting the workplace
For companies that are not in health-related fields but have corporate offices overseas and specifically in countries being affected by the Ebola virus, HR should research the latest information by going to the CDC's website