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NYC To Prepare Workers For Possible Ebola Cases


eboNew York City will offer specialized training on how to handle Ebola cases to the city workers who could be at the front lines if the deadly disease were found in the country’s largest city.

Top city officials will meet with the leadership of the Municipal Labor Committee, an umbrella group that represents more than 300,000 public employees, on Monday to review the city’s strategy with battling any Ebola cases, members of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration told The Associated Press.

Those expected to attend include firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians, nurses, and hospital staffers who would likely be the first responders in an Ebola case.

“These are the people who will be in harm’s way,” Harry Nespoli, head of the Municipal Labor Committee, said Sunday. “Let’s hope to God we never have to deal with it, but what this city is doing is preparing for the worst just in case.”

Ebola is spread through contact with bodily fluids of an infected person. Someone who is infected does not become contagious until they show symptoms.

Two nurses who treated a man who died of Ebola in Dallas have been diagnosed with the virus. There are no other confirmed cases in the United States.

New York City’s health commissioner said the city’s status as a haven for immigrants and center for international travel could put it at risk.

Nespoli said dozens of workers have expressed concerns over possible exposure. Earlier this month, some airport workers went on strike because they felt they had not received proper safeguards against the disease.

De Blasio administration officials have stressed that it has learned from mistakes made in Dallas.

“We respect the men and women who serve this city every day, and it’s our responsibility to protect them,” said First Deputy Mayor Anthony Shorris.

Officials are planning a public service announcement campaign to reassure New Yorkers that the disease is not easily transmittable.

(AP)



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