{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://morgangriffith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=397985", "Congressman Griffith's Weekly E-Newsletter 10.13.14", "2014-10-13", "2014", "2014-10", "Republican", "House", "VA", "Morgan Griffith", "G000568", "morgangriffith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Ebola: An Update\r\nOn September 16, President Obama said from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia: \r\n\u201cFirst and foremost, I want the American people to know that our experts, here at the CDC and across our government, agree that the chances of an Ebola outbreak here in the United States are extremely low.\u00a0 We\u2019ve been taking the necessary precautions, including working with countries in West Africa to increase screening at airports so that someone with the virus doesn\u2019t get on a plane for the United States.\u00a0 In the unlikely event that someone with Ebola does reach our shores, we\u2019ve taken new measures so that we\u2019re prepared here at home.\u00a0 We\u2019re working to help flight crews identify people who are sick, and more labs across our country now have the capacity to quickly test for the virus.\u00a0 We\u2019re working with hospitals to make sure that they are prepared, and to ensure that our doctors, our nurses and our medical staff are trained, are ready, and are able to deal with a possible case safely.\u201d  \r\nHowever, as we all know, in late September a Mr. Duncan was diagnosed with Ebola in Texas after having left Liberia.\u00a0 According to reports, he did not have symptoms of the disease when departing, but developed them after having arrived.\u00a0 Because of the disease\u2019s incubation period, a person may be infected with Ebola for as long as three weeks before symptoms appear.\r\nUnfortunately, treatment did not work and Mr. Duncan passed away on October 8, making him the first person to die of this disease in the United States.\u00a0 He died approximately a week after having been diagnosed, and just weeks after the President said Ebola was \u201cunlikely\u201d to enter the United States.\r\nThe President was wrong about the likelihood of this disease entering the United States.\u00a0 Could he and his Administration also be wrong about the likelihood of an outbreak or about our preparedness?\r\n\u201cWe had one case and I think there may be other cases, and I think we have to recognize that as a nation,\u201d warned Sylvia Burwell, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), on October 9.\r\nCDC officials on Sunday, October 12 confirmed that a Texas nurse who had \u201cextensive contact\u201d with Mr. Duncan has tested positive for Ebola, making her the first to contract the disease inside the United States.\u00a0 She was reportedly wearing the recommended protective gear while handling Mr. Duncan.\u00a0 CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said a \u201cprotocol breach\u201d was likely responsible for her infection.\r\nThe nurse is being treated and, according to reports, is in stable condition.\u00a0 Meanwhile, the city of Dallas has made a \u201creverse-911 call\u201d to residents in a four-block area to notify them a neighbor is the second case of Ebola in the United States.\r\nI am very concerned.\u00a0 Will current and planned protocols protect the American people from exposure to this disease?\u00a0 \r\nFederal officials recently announced they would begin screening (taking temperatures, filling out questionnaires, etc.) at five major U.S. airports passengers entering our country from West Africa.\u00a0 Similarly, Britain will be screening certain passengers. \r\nSome say these screenings alone would not have identified Mr. Duncan\u2019s case, and that there is more that must be done to protect people from this disease.\u00a0 I would also argue that the President\u2019s immigration policy, foreign policy, etc. could go further to protect the American people.\r\nAs a student of history, I cannot help at this time but recall the polio outbreak of the 1950s \u2013 more specifically, of Wytheville\u2019s \u201cSummer Without Children\u201d in which the town was essentially quarantined as officials struggled with a full-blown polio epidemic.\u00a0 This was not to be discriminatory, but was meant to protect and to stop/slow the spread of polio, about which little was known at the time.\r\nThere have been legitimate calls for immigration and travel restrictions in an effort to help prevent the spread of Ebola.\u00a0 I suggest you review last week\u2019s column in which I discuss how to further protect the American people while also addressing concerns that such restrictions would limit help to African nations in need.\r\nLastly, Ebola may be getting most of the headlines, but I am also concerned about Enterovirus D68, which has killed at least two children and may be causing paralysis-like symptoms in others.\u00a0 The CDC and other agencies must work to protect Americans from both diseases.\u00a0 The situation with both diseases is changing rapidly.\u00a0 This column reflects the facts known at the time of its writing.\r\nAs always, if you have concerns or comments or wish to inquire about legislative issues, feel free to contact my offices. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://morgangriffith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=397985"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5766890719532967, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}