Serious Infectious Disease Network (SIDN)

The Serious Infectious Disease Network (SIDN) includes facilities within Alabama to ensure that appropriate care and management of patients with potentially highly infectious diseases is provided safely. Alabama uses a tiered approach to identify patients presenting with diseases of concern and to coordinate the appropriate response among local, state, and federal partners.

Healthcare facilities and hospitals in Alabama fall into one of two categories:

• Frontline Healthcare Facilities
• Assessment Hospitals

Frontline Healthcare Facilities

• Consists of Acute Care Hospitals, Emergency Departments, Urgent Care Centers, and other clinical care areas. These facilities should utilize the Centers for Disease Control decision algorithm of Identify, Isolate, and Inform.
• Guidance for Frontline Healthcare Facilities

Assessment Hospitals

• have completed a rigorous review and intense planning activities that demonstrate their ability and dedication to care for a patient with a possible serious infectious disease such as Ebola;
• receive and isolate the suspected patient, coordinate and collaborate with the Alabama Department of Public Health in the initial evaluation and appropriate testing;
• care for the patients until Ebola or other infectious diseases are confirmed or ruled out; and
• coordinate with ADPH the transport of the patients to an Ebola treatment facility if laboratory results are confirmatory.
• Guidance for Assessment Hospitals

Healthcare Providers

All suspected infectious diseases must be reported immediately to the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), including Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). If you are a healthcare provider and have a patient who traveled internationally; or had contact with someone who is ill and traveled internationally; or is a healthcare worker with recent exposure to a potential communicable disease of urgent public health concern; or anyone who reports being part of a cluster of two or more persons with a similar febrile, respiratory illness AND is experiencing one or more of these symptoms: fever, headache, cough, trouble breathing, diarrhea, rash, joint aches, and vomiting. Please complete the ADPH Serious Infectious Disease (SID) Consultation Form and call the Infectious Diseases & Outbreaks Division immediately at 1-800-338-8374.

For Hospitals/Healthcare facilities:

• ADPH Serious Infectious Disease Consultation Form
• ADPH SID Hospital Screening
• ADPH Hospital Planning Template
• ADPH Checklist for Patients Being Evaluated for Serious Infectious Disease

For EMS:

• ADPH SID EMS Screening

Resources:

• CDC Travel Health Notices

The Centers for Disease Control has partnered with the National Ebola Training Education Center (NETEC). This site provides educational PowerPoint presentations, exercise templates, and general information about Ebola, MERS, and other infectious diseases.

CDC Health Alert Network

• Marburg Virus Disease Outbreaks in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania (April 6, 2023)