Delaware County Reviews Ebola Readiness With PHL Airport Officials
By David Madden
MEDIA, Pa. (CBS) -- After meeting with the top man at Philadelphia International Airport about preparedness for someone coming in with Ebola, Delaware County officials are reassuring the public at large that the county is as prepared as possible to handle any cases that crop up there.
About two thousand people fly into Philadelphia from West Africa each year, none on direct flights. And the Centers for Disease Control has had a containment room at the airport for seven years.
Officials say the risk of an infected person coming into the area are low, but with Liberian enclaves in Lansdowne, Darby, and Upper Darby, there are concerns.
Delaware County Council vice chair Mario Civera (at lectern in photo) says three hospitals in the county are ready.
"They're in constant communication with the state department of health, and that's the ones that really are responsible," he said today.
A county task force, which includes local nurses, is keeping a close eye on things.