UMass Ebola Panel Addresses Questions, Concerns AMHERST, Mass (WGGB) — Keeping Ebola fears in check was a big part of a panel at UMass tonight. Some of the region’s top infectious disease experts came together to share what they know about the virus, and take questions that have been on everyone minds. “It’s tragic, it’s very very sad,” Aelan Tierney said. Tierney was just in West Africa on a service mission with local students in January, but her personal connections go further back. “I met my first husband in Guinea and my daughter Eisha, who is here tonight, has cousins and aunts and uncles and her grandmother there and we are concerned this is going to affect them and possibly we could lose some family members too,” Tierney said. She brought many questions to the UMass Ebola epidemic panel Tuesday. “When is it going to stop, and how do we stop it, and what can we do as Americans to help stop it?” she asked. UMass Medical & Nursing Schools Office of Global Health Co-Director Donna Gallagher says the issue needs international support to save lives and get under control. Some in the audience questioned the difference with HIV. “The reality is that HIV is harder to get than Ebola and it’s because Ebola is in all of your bodily fluids including your tears and your saliva, and your skin, and HIV is not,” Gallagher said. Farai Chikove attended Tuesday to be a better informed nurse. “It does concern me, especially knowing about the personal protective equipment and kind of finding it probably wasn’t enough until some other protocols were put into place by the CDC to protect the healthcare workers,” Chikove said. Gallagher says Ebola patients everywhere can survive with the right treatment, but it is critical for caretakers to use personal protective gear and for the public not to panic. “Everything needs to be covered, no skin showing anywhere if you are in contact with somebody who is suspected to have Ebola,” Gallagher said. “They are not going to contact it if they heard that their neighbor two miles down the road has Ebola.” UMass says they had a drill Tuesday that involved all medical personnel on campus that would be involved if an Ebola case made it’s way to campus, but they stress the odds of that remain slim. UMass has no school sanctioned trips or events in West Africa moving forward.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 03:55:57 +0000