FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                             PRESS CONTACT:

October 10, 2014                                                                  Brenda Lopez 956.544.8352

PRESS RELEASE: Congressman Vela Participates in Homeland Security Committee Field Hearing in Dallas on Ebola

DALLAS, TX - Today, Congressman Filemon Vela (D-Brownsville) participated in a House Homeland Security Committee field hearing in Dallas titled:  "Ebola in the Homeland: The Importance of Effective International, Federal, State and Local Coordination.”

Witnesses included: Dr. Toby Merlin from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Kathryn Brinsfield from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and John Wagner from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

As Dr. Merlin explained:  “From the time the situation in West Africa escalated from an outbreak to an epidemic, we have anticipated that a traveler could arrive in the United States with the disease.  We have been preparing for this possibility by working closely with our state and local partners and with clinicians and health care facilities so that any imported case could be quickly contained.  This occurrence underscores the need to carefully follow the protocols that have been developed, to work closely across levels of government, and to continue our urgent effort to address the epidemic in West Africa, which remains the biggest risk to the United States.”

“As we work to learn from the recent case in Dallas and continue the public health response there, we remain confident that Ebola is not a significant public health threat to the United States.  It is not transmitted easily, and it does not spread from people who are not ill, and cultural norms that contribute to the spread of the disease in Africa– such as burial customs– are not a factor in the United States.  CDC is committing significant resources both on the ground in West Africa and through our Emergency Operations Center here at home.  We know how to stop Ebola with strict infection control practices which are already in widespread use in American hospitals, and the United States is leading the international effort to stop it at the source in Africa.”

"Today's hearing was a chance to learn about the local, state, and federal response to Ebola and hear from public health officials on the signs and symptoms of the disease,” said Congressman Vela.  “I would like to thank all the public officials and healthcare workers who are keeping Americans safe from this severe disease.”

The full hearing can be viewed here

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