In general, all public health emergency efforts begin at the local level, extending to state and federal levels as needed. The CDC provides substantial funding for state and local public health agencies, but does not control their activities. Instead, the federal agency provides guidance and assistance as needed.
In Dallas, for example, the CDC sent a team of experts to help state and local authorities track down people who came in contact with Duncan.
Do states have legal authority to quarantine residents?
Some states do and some don't. If a state does not have direct authority to quarantine, set curfews or otherwise isolate or screen residents for contagious diseases, it must either seek a court order to do so or ask local health authorities to issue an order.
In Texas, for example, the state health agency had authority to isolate those suspected of carrying the Ebola virus. But in Connecticut, Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy just declared a statewide public health emergency so the state, rather than local health authorities, could order quarantines.
According to The Network for Public Health Law, conflicting state and local laws and overlapping jurisdictions can complicate important public health decisions, such as quarantines, school closures, vaccinations and curfews during a public health emergency. In many cases, emergency administrative orders or statutes are enacted.
Do state and local health agencies have direct authority over hospital procedures?
No. The nation's roughly 5,000 hospitals cooperate with federal, state and local authorities during a public health emergency on a voluntary basis. Their primary job is to ensure the health and recovery of individual patients. Public health officials work alongside hospitals to make sure they know the most recent public health disaster plans.
How many public health laboratories are ready to test for Ebola?
So far, 18 state public health laboratories out of about 100 in the country stand ready to test patient samples for the Ebola virus. They are located in:
More labs will become ready in the days ahead, according to the Association of Public Health Laboratories, particularly in locations close to the five airports (in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Newark, New Jersey and outside Washington, DC) that the US government has designated for Ebola screening of visitors traveling from West Africa.
Stateline, Copyright © 1996-2014 The Pew Charitable Trusts. All rights reserved.
*Editor's Note:
CDC and Frontier Airlines Announce Passenger Notification Underway
On the morning of Oct. 14, the second healthcare worker reported to the hospital with a low-grade fever and was isolated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms that the second healthcare worker who tested positive last night for Ebola traveled by air Oct. 13, the day before she reported symptoms.
Because of the proximity in time between the evening flight and first report of illness the following morning, CDC is reaching out to passengers who flew on Frontier Airlines flight 1143 Cleveland to Dallas/Fort Worth Oct. 13.
Pages: 1 · 2
More Articles
- A Reminder From the White House: Prepare for New Variants As We Work to Keep Ourselves Protected Against COVID-19
- Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: US Economic Activity Contracted Sharply During 2020 As Covid-19 Spread and Government Introduced Policies Aimed At Curbing the Virus
- COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Case Investigation and CDC Reporting: Hospitalized or Fatal Breakthrough Cases Reported as of May 10, 2021
- GAO Report: Maternal Mortality and Morbidity: Additional Efforts Needed to Assess Program Data for Rural and Underserved Areas
- Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination Updated Jan. 25, 2021; Content source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Vaccines Frequently Asked Questions
- How are States Prioritizing Who Will Get the COVID-19 Vaccine First? CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Released an Interim Recommendation For the Highest Priority Group
- The Effects of Large Group Meetings on the Spread of COVID-19: The Case of Trump Rallies, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
- FactCheck.org: Q&A on Trump’s COVID-19 Diagnosis
- Covid 19 Hearing Sept 16th: CDC Director Dr. Redfield Testified on the Latest Coronavirus Response Efforts
- Hollowed-Out Public Health System Faces More Cuts Amid Virus; "When we do our job, nothing happens"