Airports On Alert To Look For Passengers With Ebola Symptoms
Photo Credit: CBS New York
Newark Liberty and John F. Kennedy airports are among 20 ports of entry locations in the U.S. with quarantine stations that have been staffed with health officials trained to look for symptoms of Ebola in passengers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it will evaluate any travelers with signs of dangerous infectious diseases and isolate them when necessary.
U.S. health officials on Thursday warned Americans not to travel to the three West African countries hit by an outbreak of Ebola.
The advisory applies to nonessential travel to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, where Ebola has killed more than 700 people this year.
“The bottom line is Ebola is worsening in West Africa,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC, who announced the travel warning. He called Ebola “a tragic, dreadful and merciless virus.”
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Massive emergency drill in New York City
By Luke Funk.
The New York City Department of Health conducted a massive emergency preparedness drill at 30 facilities across the city on Friday.
They tested the delivery of emergency medications in the event of a biological attack, such as anthrax, or other large-scale public health emergency in the city. The majority of the deliveries will take place to public school buildings.
It’s the largest surprise drill in the city’s history. The drill was scheduled to take place from approximately 6:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. The majority of participants were given no notice to better test and simulate a real emergency and response.
“The NYC Health Department is responsible for developing and executing plans for the mass dispensing of life-saving medicine in response to public health emergencies,” said Dr. Oxiris Barbot, First Deputy Commissioner of the Health Department. “This exercise demonstrates our commitment to ensuring we have the capability and resources to protect the health and safety of all New Yorkers in times of crisis.”
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