The nurse is admitting the second patient in 2 days who is experiencing malaise, high fever, and headache. Both patients attended a local air show the previous weekend. What should the nurse do?
1. Discuss the need to contact public health authorities regarding the similarity of the cases.
2. Plan to place the patients in the same room.
3. Ask the patients for permission to talk with family members regarding other symptoms.
4. Assess the patients for what foods they ate while at the air show.
Correct Answer: 1
The nurse should be alert to illness patterns that could indicate an unusual infectious disease outbreak. Indicators of a biologic agent release include an increased disease incidence among people who attended the same event. The presence of one or more indicators should be reported to public health authorities to determine the source of the infectious disease and prevent further exposure. Placing the patients in the same room may or may not be appropriate. The family members of the patients do not need to be assessed at this time. The foods ingested during the air show may not provide enough information about the patients' exposure. The nurse should contact public health authorities.
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