CHARLOTTE, NC — The Pentagon says 120 soldiers from Fort Bragg will head to Africa to help fight the Ebola outbreak. It comes as we learn more about what U.S. and local officials are doing to prepare for cases right here at home.
“It’s not transmitted through the air,” said Mecklenburg County Medical Director Dr. Stephen Keener. “You have to have physical contact.”
There are no confirmed cases of Ebola in North Carolina, but the health community here is concerned by the first case diagnosed in the United States.
Travel-associated cases are a worry with a major airport like Charlotte-Douglas, and the Mecklenburg County Health Department and local hospitals are ready to respond.
“We’re now obtaining travel history, just to make sure that we have that screening process in place,” says Novant Health’s Dr. Sid Fletcher.
Doctors answered questions about Ebola preparedness at a press conference Friday. They say the equipment, facilities and protocols are in place, and point to a recent CMC patient, with a travel history in west Africa, who triggered the system before it was determined the patient did not have Ebola.
“There have been a number of patients who have triggered the first level screen, and then moved to the second level,” says Dr. Jim Hunter with Carolinas HealthCare System.
And the White House laid out its plan on Friday to coordinate national efforts with local authorities to contain the Ebola virus.
“We are not just facing a health crisis, but a national security priority,” says Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security.
Monaco is heading the federal government’s response.
“The United States is prepared to deal with this crisis, both at home, and in the region. Every Ebola outbreak over the past 40 years has been stopped. We know how to do this and we will do it again.”
