Ebola Precautions are Key, says Infectious Disease Expert at Northern Westchester Hospital

The Miami Herald quotes Northern Westchester Hospital’s own Dr. Debra Spicehandler in an article about Ebola’s appearance in Spain.

A priest with Ebola had been flown back to Spain for care and a nursing assistant who was part of the team caring him has come down with the deadly virus.

“You never know when (an Ebola) patient’s going to walk in,” said Dr. Debra Spicehandler, an infectious disease expert at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, NY. “Education is key to controlling this — education of the public and of health care workers.”

Dr. Spicehandler, who is Co-Chair of the Infection Control Committee at Northern Westchester Hospital. said NWH is working hard to educate and prepare its staff, just as health care professionals are doing across the United States and, in fact, the world.

The hospital has had several meetings and scheduled a simulation this week. “Everybody’s prepared,” she said. “We’re having a drill this week to make sure.”

Herself, Dr. Spicehandler is headed to a vacation in Europe. She’s not worried about traveling in general or flying in particular—like being sneezed on on the plane. “A plane crash is just as rare,” she said.

the fact that so few cases have cropped up in the USA and Europe shows that international precautions are working, she said, “given how mobile our world is right now.”

Read more about Ebola in this FAQ from the Centers for Disease Control.