I’m sure by now you all know about the serious outbreak of Ebola taking over West Africa, killing thousands of people. However, you may not know that this deadly virus has made its way to our backyard, though a little more south.

An unidentified patient in Texas has been quarantined after being diagnosed with Ebola. The patient has been suspected of visiting family in Dallas from Liberia.

The main thing to be aware of is that the likelihood of the virus spreading as rapidly and widely as it has in Africa is extremely low because of America’s higher standard of medical care.

The Centers for Disease Control released a statement reassuring people that may have been on the same flight, in the same airports and layover terminals with the Ebola patient that he was not contagious during that time.

Ebola only becomes contagious once symptoms are shown, and it can take up to 21 days for these symptoms to become present:

• Fever (greater than 38.6°C or 101.5°F)
• Severe headache
• Muscle Pain or Weakness
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Abnormal (stomach) pain
• Unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising)

Shortly after the patient’s arrival in Texas, the CDC reported that the patient brought himself to Texas Health Presbyterian because he was feeling sick and uneasy. At that time doctors deemed his symptoms and illness to be “normal.”

It was only a few days after that visit that the patient was rushed back to that same hospital, now in an ambulance. He was admitted overnight, and following a series of tests, it was determined that the patient had Ebola.

Now, while the patient fights for his life, the CDC fights to prevent an outbreak. A team of seven CDC detectives have been diligently working to identify any and all people the patient could have come in contact with, and have them tested before it’s too late.

The two emergency responders that drove the ambulance that brought the patient to Texas Health Presbyterian have become the top investigative priority, and have been placed in isolation. Also, the vehicle itself has been placed in isolation on the grounds of the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.

All doctors, nurses and disease officials who have been in an out of the quarantined Intensive Care Unit, are required to wear layers upon layers of protective clothing, and be tested before going back out into the public.

Dr. Tom Frieden, the director of the CDC, made reports to Good Morning America that the patient is “awake, talking and hungry”. Frieden also promises that the CDC will stop at nothing to contain this case and completely prevent outbreak.