Is Houston Ready to Handle Ebola?

by Kim D.

Crews now have their protective gear on. I've counted three people in special gear. No confirmation of #Ebola. pic.twitter.com/6Rv9yLR47E
— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) October 17, 2014

Yesterday I took my son to a Halloween festival where he had a blast with friends.  It was a beautiful Fall day in Texas, one with no potential worries until I chatted with a parent who is a Houston firefighter and we discussed the prior evening's breaking news about a potential Ebola death in Houston.

Approximately 30 miles away from my suburb of Houston, a woman discovered her mother had deceased. When she called for assistance, the woman also, thankfully, made it known that her mother had just returned from Nigeria the prior week. This information led to an abundance of caution from first responders who waited for hazmat suits before entering the apartment to remove the body.

But, curiously enough the deceased was not tested for Ebola. As reported by Jace Larson, an investigative reporter with KPRC Houston,

"She was not tested for Ebola as the evaluation of the patient did not indicate the need to do so. Please note that not everyone of West African decent are at risk of contracting Ebola. The only people who are at risk of becoming infected with Ebola, whether of West African or other decent, are those who have been in direct contact with bodily fluids of a person who has been confirmed as having Ebola." 

Rita Obey, Director, Office of Public InformationHarris County Public Health & Environmental Services

I expect many more Ebola scares will happen in the weeks to come, but I asked the Houston firefighter did he feel "ready" if an actual case was discovered. He admitted, sadly, that he was not confident the city was fully prepared but hoped that status would change this coming week.  In the Houston fire department there are protocols and hazmat suits available but no actual training has been given in how to handle persons potentially infected with Ebola and to remove hazmat suits correctly to minimize any risk of infection with the deadly disease. And, he's not the only firefighter claiming this.