Should we be worried about Ebola in Philly?

Tuesday, the first U.S. case of the Ebola virus was confirmed in Texas, which leads to many questions of how much should we be concerned about this disease spreading across the country. West Africa has been dealing with a serious outbreak of this virus and the CDC is projecting that over a million people there could have it by January if the disease is not managed correctly.

The man in Texas flew from Liberia to Dallas on September 19 and at the time he was not exhibiting any symptoms. Last Wednesday however he became sick and while he sought medical care on Friday, he wasn't admitted to the hospital until Sunday.

CDC's Thomas Freinden spoke at a news conference Tuesday and reassured the American people that the virus would not spread any further. The CDC is currently tracking down all who were in contact with the man since Wednesday so they can be quarantined and watched for symptoms.

When asked if we had anything to be worried about here in Philadelphia, Dr. Kathleen Squires of the Infectious Disease Department of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, said that people shouldn't be panicking and that there is no real threat from this patient to those of us in our area.

"Infection does not spread through the air or through casual contact. It can only be spread through close personal interactions like the sharing of bodily secretions and the touching of contaminated medical equipment," she said. "You can't be infected just because you were on the same flight as someone or if you just happened to pass them on the street."

She also emphasized that a person is not contagious until they start to show symptoms of the disease and so the people who were on the flight with this man are not in any danger. Fever is the big indicator for the onslaught of Ebola and the man was checked for fever before entering the plane.

According to Dr. Squires, once the people potentially exposed to the virus are identified they will be watched for up to 21 days (the disease has a 1-21 day incubation period) and their temperature will be taken daily.

Although this particular case is no threat to us in Philadelphia, the chance that a person from West Africa could fly to our area unknowingly bringing the virus is a possibility. Dr. Squires said that the symptoms to look out for include fever, nausea, diarrhea, and bleeding. Remember though that Ebola is not spread through the air, so casual contact is not of concern. However, if you think you might have been exposed and develop a fever, then you should seek immediate medical attention.