New York City: Ebola Precautions

The Ebola epidemic in West Africa has been a constant in the news as of late. The virus, which currently has no cure, is easily contracted and easily spread. The virus has been ravaging West Africa, and last week, on October 3rd, the first case of Ebola was documented in the United States. The first Ebola patient in the United States is in Dallas, Texas, where he is being treated. The United States is now doing their best to take extra precautions in airports and hospitals in order to contain the virus and make sure that it does not spread.

While Dallas is quite a ways from New York City, the most populous city in the United States is taking extra precautions regardless. Now, the fist questions asked to anyone who calls hospitals with symptoms such as vomiting and fever is, “Have you been to West Africa in the last three weeks? If so, did you come into contact with someone sick with the virus?” If the answer is yes to either of these questions, there is now a series of protocol steps in place to be adhered to, beginning with emergency personnel putting on protective wear in order to better prevent infection.

While it may seem extreme, New York City is taking extra care to avoid a situation similar to that which occurred in Dallas, where the patient was sent home from the hospital despite having recently been in Liberia, simply because he was not fully exhibiting symptoms yet. While it may seem shocking that medical doctors would send a potential ebola patient home from the hospital, according to Dr. Irwin Redlener, who is the director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University, the recognition and diagnosing of what may be a case of Ebola is, “not easy or straightforward.”

That being said, New York City officials took note of the slip-ups made in Dallas and have since gone above and beyond to prepare the city for any possible ebola threat. Dr. Redlener notes that the city is doing an exceptional job in their precautionary preparations, so there should be no worries as of yet. To read further, check out this article from the New York Times.