Local Ebola Expert: U.S. Needs To Be Better At Identifying Carriers
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – As Ebola comes to the United States, a world renowned Florida International University professor and doctor who has battled Ebola before says the United States needs to do a better job of identifying passengers who could be carrying the disease.
It all started when a plane from Liberia brought Ebola to Dallas, Texas. A passenger on board the flight is the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S.
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Florida International University Professor and Doctor Aileen Marty recently spent a month fighting Ebola in Nigeria.
"If you recall, what's happening here is virtually identical to what happened in Nigeria. It was a plane ride that brought the disease and lead to an outbreak," said Dr. Marty.
She said Americans looking at the Ebola diagnosis in Texas don't need to be concerned about a major outbreak in the United States.
"In the United States we have the resources and the wherewithal to keep something like that from happening," said Dr. Marty.
She said the patient will likely live and the only people who need to be concerned are those he had contact with during the four days he was in the U.S. before testing positive.
"The only people who are at risk are people who were in close contact with that individual when he was symptomatic," said Dr. Marty.
Although doctor Marty believes the United States can handle an Ebola patient, she said the U.S. needs to do a better job of screening travelers before they arrive.
She's worked with various countries, like South Africa, to screen for passengers who could be carrying the disease.
"Anyone who comes from a suspect country is automatically placed on a list and is being followed," said Dr. Marty.
On Tuesday evening, the White House reminded the public that you can't get Ebola through the air, water or food. The only way to get it is through contact with blood or bodily fluids from someone who has Ebola or who died from it.
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