Though Unlikely, Local Airports Prepare for Ebola Outbreak

Ebola is a dangerous illness that just claimed the life of the only person to have been diagnosed on American soil. Some Americans feel there wasn’t enough done to prevent the virus from coming back to the states.

Thomas Duncan, the Texas man who returned from West Africa with the illness, came home on a plane, and many were shocked something like that could happen and are worried about an outbreak. News 25 spoke to airport officials Thursday about their procedures if the worst should happen. Through what many people feel was a breakdown of medical and travel protocols, the United States had its first case of Ebola on American soil.

Many air travelers think it could happen again. Patti Hope, a traveling Medical Strategist, says, "I was a little disappointed by what I was hearing out of airports in America. I think they need to strengthen the screening here."

Airports, like Atlanta, which are international gateways, are starting to take precautions by giving health screenings to passengers from areas with high infection rates. While the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport doesn’t take direct flights from these areas, they are still prepared. Casey Lyons, Director of Operations and Maintenance at the Gulfport-Biloxi Airport, says, "We meet regularly with our first responders and mutual aid partners, and by continuing to meet regularly, we have a plan. We practice the plan and make sure everyone knows what they need to do."

Medical screenings may inconvenience passengers, but some feel it is worth the extra time. Hope also says, "I agree with them. I think they’re a necessity and they’re part of travel today."

Ebola is a deadly virus spread by contact. It’s unlikely, but if the worst should happen, the Gulfport-Biloxi Airport is ready for it. Russel Shoultz, Assistant Fire Chief of Gulfport, says, "We would immediately get here, establish a unified command with our response partners, A.M.R., Gulfport Airport Authority, and Gulfport Police. We would have two E.M.T.s get on the aircraft immediately, assess the situation. If we do feel there is a virus, we would put a mask on that individual."

Shoultz says that the risk of an Ebola outbreak is minimal in Gulfport, but it’s best to expect the worst, while wishing for the best. Ebola is relatively difficult to catch and must be transmitted by contact with bodily fluids, but many passengers would feel safer if all travelers took steps to minimize risk.

Hope closes, "I think it’s basic public health, thinking through what you should be doing all the time. Flu season is here, and flu kills a lot of people, probably a lot more people than Ebola will in America."