Editorial from Wednesday, November 5, 2014 issue of The Courier-Times ‘Something some Personians need to keep in mind’ Fear quickly spread across Person County Sunday night when word began circulating on social media sites that a person had been transported from a southern Person County residence to Duke University Medical Center to be evaluated for possible causes of fever, including testing for Ebola. The patient, whose identity has not been released, departed from Liberia and arrived in the United States at Newark Liberty International Airport on Oct. 31. The patient arrived in Person County Saturday and developed a fever Sunday morning. The patient did not have any symptoms upon arrival in the United States and, at last word, does not have any additional symptoms now. The individual also had no known exposure to Ebola while in Liberia. As reported by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services this week, “it is important to note that the patient’s fever could indicate other illnesses.” It is also important to note that Ebola is not spread through the air, water or food — or simply by being near an infected person. Ebola is only spread through unprotected contact with blood or body fluids from an infected person who has symptoms, or with objects like needles that have been contaminated with the virus. We can understand people being fearful of the Ebola virus possibly being detected in Person County. What we cannot understand, however, is some of the harsh comments we have read on social media sites regarding the patient in the past few days. According to health officials, the patient did exactly what should have been done. Upon arrival in the United States from Liberia, the patient was checked for a fever. When a fever developed Sunday, the patient contacted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Then, proper steps by local and state health officials were put into place to have the patient transported to Duke University Medical Center where preliminary tests have shown a negative result for Ebola. Additional testing will take place today, and the patient has been isolated from other patients until Ebola will hopefully be ruled out today. “Based on today’s conversation with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the negative result indicates this person was not contagious and posed no health or safety threat during travels to North Carolina or to Duke,” Dr. Aldona Wos, state Secretary of Health and Human Services, said Monday afternoon when discussing the patient. From some of the rude things we have read via social media sites, the patient, sadly enough, may want to stay in isolation even if Ebola is ruled out today. Last we checked, Person County does not have a leper colony, nor does our county specialize in ostracizing. That’s something some Personians need to keep in mind.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 16:12:21 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015