USC Professor Talks About Ebola

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — “This calls for awareness, but not necessarily concern or panic,” says Dr. Eric Brenner, University of South Carolina ABC Columbia News sat down with Brenner to talk about the latest developments concerning Ebola. A man has now been diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Brenner says it is unlikely, nearly impossible, for Ebola to spread here in the United States as it has in Africa. The maximum incubation period for Ebola, says Brenner, is twenty-one days but for most people it’s six to 10 days. By that, Brenner says, the unidentified man, who is being treated in Dallas, Texas, was likely incubating the disease when he boarded a flight to Texas from Liberia. “When this patient traveled, he was not yet sick. He was infected, but not yet infectious,” says Brenner Efforts are now underway to track down anyone who may have had contact with him. Brenner narrowed down a smaller group that might be at risk. “The main concern is not the people who have seen this patient on the street or on a bus or in a neighborhood, it would probably be maybe close family members who have been taking care of him,” says Brenner