Wednesday October 1, 2014
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control confirmed a patient being treated at a Dallas hospital has tested positive for the deadly Ebola virus. This is the first Ebola case diagnosed in the United States, and the CDC says they are taking every necessary precaution.
The patient, whose identity is not being released at this time, is currently receiving intensive treatment inside an isolation unit at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. What we do know, is the patient flew in to Texas from Liberia on September 20th, to visit family, and showed no signs of being sick at that time.
However, eight days later, the individual was placed in the isolation unit, Tuesday, where the patient tested positive for the Ebola virus.
“People having the ability to travel like they do; that’s what’s frightening, because those people will be seeing other people, and those other people will be seeing other people,” said Bonnie Randallhowe of Holyoke.
Although doctors in Texas said we shouldn’t worry about a widespread epidemic here in the U.S.; “We have sophisticated medical symptoms that have all the isolation protocols, all the resources they need.” Dr. David Lakey of the Texas Dept of State Health.
One resident, who is originally from Somalia, Africa, agrees. “I have no fear, I think it will be under control; we have the technology, we have the medicine, we have everything here,” said Abdikarin Ali of Springfield.
To date, the Ebola virus has killed more than three-thousand people in western Africa. The U.S. military is increasing its presence in Liberia to help fight the outbreak.
The CDC said there is “zero risk” for anyone who was on the same flight as the patient. That’s because the virus can not be spread *before* a person shows any symptoms.