Ebola Update

The Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa and recent cases in other
countries have caused intense media attention and questions about potential
risks to J&J employees. A team of experts from Global Health Services, Corporate
Medical, Global Security and Corporate Travel has been monitoring the situation
and provides the following advice.
Travel
Travel to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone is restricted unless business critical. Such
travel requires VP approval and notification to Dr. Ferro in Corporate Medical. While
Nigeria has successfully managed to contain its cases of EVD and have not reported
a single new case since August 31st, as a precaution only essential business travel
to Nigeria is allowed. Note that the risks to people traveling to these countries for
business remains extremely low, but local health care systems are so stretched that
obtaining treatment for other medical conditions may be impacted. There is also the
potential for local travel disruption if a business traveler were to acquire any illness
with a raised temperature as her or she may not be permitted to travel due to
airport health checks.
The recent case of a traveler with EVD who flew from Liberia to Brussels and then
onto Newark and Dallas, where he became ill and admitted to a hospital in Texas,
highlights how its possible for the virus to travel globally. Despite this case, the
risks of transmitting EVD outside of West Africa, as well as risks to passengers
who travel via air, remain very low. This takes into account a number of factors
as follows:
Individuals who are infected are only infectious once they develop
symptoms, and all the affected countries and their neighbors have
implemented entry and exit health screenings.
The route of infection is from direct, physical contact with bodily fluids of
people who have been infected with or who have died from EVD.
The virus does not travel through the air or via insect bites.
General Precautions:
As always, be vigilant with regard to your health and those around you; keep
your distance from people who appear to look or sound sick.
Avoid direct unprotected contact with sick people and their body fluids.
Observe good personal hygiene: wash your hands often with soap and water
and use a hand sanitizer when that is not readily available as these are both
effective ways to kill EVD.
When Visiting Health Care Facilities:
There are no restrictions on J&J employees or contractors who visit health care
facilities except in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria where visits to hospitals
that are treating active cases of Ebola are not recommended. Outside of these
countries Ebola cases are being treated in specialized infectious disease units. If
there are concerns about a specific health care facility, consult your local
Occupational Health Physician.

Please see the attached Q&A. If you have any additional questions, contact Dr. Joe
Ferro in Corporate Medical.
We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q:
A:

What is Ebola?
Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a severe, often fatal illness, with a death rate of
up to 90%. The illness affects humans and nonhuman primates (monkeys,
gorillas, and chimpanzees). Ebola first appeared in 1976. The origin of the
virus is unknown but fruit bats are considered the likely host of the Ebola
virus based on available evidence.

Q:
A:

How do people become infected with the virus?

In the current outbreak in West Africa, the majority of cases in humans have
occurred as a result of human-to-human transmission. Infection occurs from
direct contact through broken skin or mucous membranes with the blood, or
other bodily fluids or secretions (stool, urine, saliva, semen) of infected
people. Infection can also occur if broken skin or mucous membranes of a
healthy person come into contact with environments that have become
contaminated with an Ebola patients infectious fluids such as soiled clothing,
bed linen, or used needles.
Ebola is not spread through the air or by water, or in general, by food.

Q:
A:

What are the signs and symptoms of Ebola infection?

Sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore
throat are typical signs and symptoms. This is followed by vomiting,
diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both
internal and external bleeding. Ebola virus disease infections can only be
confirmed through laboratory testing.
The incubation period, or the time interval from infection to onset of
symptoms, is from 2 to 21 days. The patients become contagious once they
begin to show symptoms. They are not contagious during the incubation
period.

Q:
A:

How long can the Ebola virus survive on surfaces?

The virus is not very resistant to survival outside the body but can survive for
hours or days, depending on the environmental conditions. Cleaning surfaces
with a simple bleach solution and washing hands with soap or using a
commercially available waterless alcohol-based hand rub is effective at killing
the virus.

Q:
A:

What are the risks to J&J business travelers?

The risks to J&J business travelers are extremely low. The virus does not
travel through the air or via insect bites. The current outbreak is spreading

person to person, via bodily fluids like blood, vomit, semen, sweat, etc.
therefore, people who avoid high risk exposures (such as caring for Ebola
patients, burying their bodies, or hunting/eating bats or wild forest animals)
are at low risk for infection.
However, as a business traveler you should always be vigilant with regard to
your health and those around you. Stay away from people who look obviously
sick, at least at a distance of 3 feet. Avoid direct unprotected contact with
sick people and their body fluids. Pay strict attention to hygiene. Wash your
hands often. (The US CDC and WHO state waterless alcohol-based hand
sanitizer may be used as long as hands are physically clean/not visibly
soiled.)
Q:
A:

Is it safe to visit health care facilities?

Yes, generally it is perfectly safe to visit health care facilities even those in
which Ebola virus cases are being treated The exception is health care
facilities in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria where visits to hospitals
treating active cases of Ebola are not recommended. Outside of these
countries Ebola cases are being treated in specialized infectious disease units
that are highly competent and resourced to prevent spread to staff and
visitors to the rest of the hospital. If there are concerns about a specific
health care facility please consult your local Occupational Health Physician
who will consult with Dr. Joe Ferro.

Q:
A:

What happens if I develop a febrile illness while traveling?

Unless you have visited the affected countries in West Africa your illness is
going to be due to cause other than Ebola. Treat the symptoms and seek
medical advice if illness persists. With airports and airlines implementing
health screenings, there is a risk that you might be quarantined. Please
contact International SOS (Link to contact details) who will advise you based
on the countries you have travelled to and the airports you will be travelling
through. Do not travel from home until the febrile illness has settled. If you
become ill while traveling, you may want to delay return travel until you
temperature returns to normal.

Q:

Is it safe for an employee who has traveled to Guinea, Liberia, Sierra

Leone and Nigeria to return to work after their trip?
Yes; as long as he or she is not ill. If an employee was exposed to high risk
situations e.g. caring for a relative who had Ebola then he or she should
inform their local public health department and not return to work for 21
days.

A:

Q:
A:
Q:
A:

Should sites implement temperature screening of employees and

visitors?
No, this is not required based on the low risk of Ebola outside of West Africa.
What is Johnson & Johnson doing to help control the spread of Ebola?
Johnson & Johnson recently announced that it will fast-track the development
of a promising new combination vaccine regime against Ebola and broadly

collaborate with its partners in global health to deliver immediate relief aid to
address the current Ebola outbreak.