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Alabama Taking Steps to Prevent Ebola Infections

An electron micrograph photo of the Ebola virus, provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
Associated Press via npr.org
An electron micrograph photo of the Ebola virus, provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Alabama's governor and state health officer say the state has taken steps to make sure health care workers are able to identify a case of Ebola quickly and take precautions to make sure others don't become ill.

Gov. Robert Bentley and Dr. Don Williamson said Wednesday that includes providing training material to Alabama hospitals and reminding health care workers of the importance of checking a person's travel history. It also includes taking steps to protect other patients and staff.

Williamson said the mostly likely way Ebola might show up in Alabama is from someone who traveled to west Africa and developed flu-like symptoms after returning home. Williamson says there is nothing Alabama can do to prevent a case like that, but the state is working to make sure others aren't infected.

APR student reporter Josh Hoppenstein interviewed Dr. Jim McVay, Director of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease with the Alabama Department of Public Health.  You can hear that interview by clicking the audio above.

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