Committee on Homeland Security House of

Ebola in the Homeland: the Importance of Effective International, Federal, State, and Local Coordination Committee on Homeland Security House of

Publisher Marketing: The Ebola crisis is unfolding at an alarming pace. Thousands have died in Africa and thousands more have been infected, including four selfless Americans working in Liberia who have been flown home for treatment. Now the virus has begun to spread to other parts of the world, and the American people are rightfully concerned. They are concerned because the Ebola virus is an unseen threat, and it is only a plane flight away from our shores. We have witnessed that with the recent case in Dallas, the first fatality from Ebola in the United States. Thomas Eric Duncan traveled here from Liberia by way of Brussels and Dulles Airports. He fell ill and presented himself for treatment at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. Mr. Duncan's diagnosis set in motion an extensive public health operation involving Federal, State, and local officials to identify and assess any individuals with whom he may have had contact, a process called contact tracing. We need to ensure that State and local responders Nation-wide are prepared to move quickly if the virus is detected anywhere else within our borders. But we must be sure to confront this crisis with the facts. Blind panic will not help us stop this disease from spreading, and fear-mongering will only make it harder to do so.