(WBAP/KLIF) – Medical professionals in the U.S. are assuring Americans that they’re “prepared,” following recent news of an Ebola outbreak overseas.
An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is being recognized by the The World Health Organization as a “public health emergency of international concern.”
Dr. Nathaniel Smith, President Elect of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said Thursday that procedures are now in place that didn’t exist before the 2014 Ebola scare in Dallas that claimed the life of Thomas Eric Duncan, and infected two nurses.
“We are using surveillance to monitor the movement of individuals exposed to Ebola virus,” said Dr. Smith. “And looking at risk communication and proper use of personal protective equipment.”
According to ASTHO, the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is currently the second largest Ebola outbreak in history with more than 2,000 probable infections, and 1,500 deaths.
Dr. Smith said the probability of Ebola making its way back to the U.S. is low, but, “it’s not zero.”
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