NEW YORK—In light of the recent Ebola outbreak in West African countries that has spread to the United States, Mayor Bill de Blasio reassured New Yorkers on Thursday that there was “no cause for alarm,” as the city has not identified any cases of Ebola.
The mayor convened a meeting with over a dozen city, state, and federal agencies to discuss how to prepare a response should an Ebola patient be found in the city.
Among those in the meeting were the city health department, the city’s public hospitals network Health and Hospitals Corporation, the Office of Emergency Management, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), and federal representatives from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“The city is particularly well prepared for any possible instance of Ebola because of our extraordinary health care system, both our public health system, and our voluntary hospitals,” the mayor said.
The mayor noted that the city is “vigilant,” and has made preparations to deal with Ebola since several weeks ago, and efforts will be intensified now. De Blasio assured New Yorkers that all major hospitals in the city have special facilities for containing patients with highly infectious diseases.
He said few people should be at risk for the disease, but anyone who suspects they have Ebola should immediately go to the emergency room or call 911 if they are incapable of getting there themselves.
Screenings
On Wednesday, the first Ebola patient in the United States died, a Liberian man who was admitted to a Dallas hospital after contracting the disease on a visit to his native country.
Also, officials from the DHS and the CDC announced that starting Saturday, DHS staff will begin screening flight passengers at New York’s John F. Kennedy airport who came from or through West Africa.
The staff will use no-touch thermometers to take passengers’ temperatures and ask questions about their potential contact with anyone who may have contracted Ebola.
The U.S. administration estimates that about 150 passengers daily come from the three West African countries hardest hit by the disease—Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea—and into the country.
Screenings will also take place at the country’s other high traffic airports, New Jersey’s Newark Airport, Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, Washington Dulles airport near Washington D.C., and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, over the next week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
