Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Notes About Ebola From the Good Doctor

What a 24 hours for the Youree household.

We'd known about a possible Ebola patient in Dallas. Yesterday, that was confirmed. You probably heard a sigh of relief when CDC officials announced the infected patient was not symptomatic and therefore not contagious when he traveled via airplane from Liberia to Dallas, Texas. While my deepest concern and heartfelt prayers are for those 12-18 individuals who did, in fact, have contact with this gentleman after he became infectious, I cannot tell you how thankful I am the pool of exposed people is limited.

My Mister, who is an infectious disease physician, and I had a heart-to-heart about what it would mean for our family if an Ebola patient came under his care. This is unlikely, but with the virus 30 miles from our door, it's a conversation that needed to happen. This conversation also gave me a new perspective, prompting me to pray for those medical professionals caring for the Dallas patient--and the hundreds who are tirelessly working in Africa. These folks have families like ours.

And we've both fielded a lot of questions today about Ebola. (I'd like to mention that I am NOT a medical professional, although people repeatedly seek me out for medical advice. LOL. Now, if you're hoping for some help with dangling participles . . . .)

Yes, Ebola is a big deal. But, it is not a super virus that cannot be contained.

Bryan very graciously spent his evening last night crafting information for me to publish on the Fort Worth Moms Blog today. He provided a succinct yet thorough presentation of Ebola, helping us understand its treatment, transmissions, and symptoms . . . and how we can keep our families and communities safe and healthy. Please take time to read and share this blog post as it is our hope to share accurate information instead of the speculative and sensational material filling the media. Spread facts, not fear.

The full link to the article, "Ebola in DFW: What You Need to Know," is: http://citymomsblog.com/fortworth/2014/10/01/ebola-in-dfw-what-you-need-to-know/

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