I spoke today at the foster grandparents monthly meeting. I did not receive any suggestions on educational topics to present from the audience so I decided to share information on the highly published "Ebola virus". It gave me an opportunity to research the topic, for not only the foster grandparents but for myself. The topic was very well received and the presentation elicited pertinent questions. My presentation discussed the following content:
* Discovered in 1976 in west Africa along the Ebola river.
* There have been sporadic episodes throughout Africa since its discovery
* It spread through contact with bodily fluids and eating bushmeat (monkeys and fruit bats)
* Symptoms include cough, sneezing, fever, general malaise and then progresses to vomiting, bleeding and organ system failure
* Incubation period is 2-21 days with an average of 8-10 days
* Can be 90% fatal
* Is not airborne but precautions are taken on flights due to the nature of the virus.
* Two reported cases of active Ebola in the Us at present.
I shared a u tube video on guidelines for traveling/flying and how the airlines are taking precautions to keep the public safe. Although many of these foster grandparents do not do extensive traveling it is still important information for their families to understand.
