First Ebola Case Outside Africa in the USA

Today, the first case of Ebola outside of the continent of Africa has been confirmed from Texas in the United States of America. The Center for Disease Control  (CDC) provided an announcement and confirmation about the case today at:

First Imported Case of Ebola Diagnosed in the United States

The announcement concludes with

"CDC recognizes that even a single case of Ebola diagnosed in the United States raises concerns. Knowing the possibility exists, medical and public health professionals across the country have been preparing to respond. CDC and public health officials in Texas are taking precautions to identify people who have had close personal contact with the ill person and health care professionals have been reminded to use meticulous infection control at all times.

We know how to stop Ebola’s further spread: thorough case finding, isolation of ill people, contacting people exposed to the ill person, and further isolation of contacts if they develop symptoms. The U.S. public health and medical systems have had prior experience with sporadic cases of diseases such as Ebola. In the past decade, the United States had 5 imported cases of Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF) diseases similar to Ebola (1 Marburg, 4 Lassa). None resulted in any transmission in the United States."

Only time will tell how successful the CDC and local public health officials are at identifying and containing other individuals that may have been infected by the index case here in the United States.