Will Ebola Spread Here? Piedmont Doctor Says 'Not Likely'

The Liberian man in Dallas, Texas who is being treated for the Ebola virus is prompting questions about how hospital staff can identify the illness. There is also fear over how quickly it can spread.

WFDD's Kathryn Mobley spoke with a Winston-Salem infectious disease specialist with Novant Health. Dr. Jim Lederer who says there are several reason the virus can be contained here.

"Until you manifest symptoms, which is the virus active in your body causing harm, it is dormant," says Lederer. "You can't spread it during the incubation period because there are no infectious fluids from the patient to the next person."

Lederer says that hospitals are intensifying precautionary measures and there has been training for staff on how to identify Ebola in patients. He also explains to Mobley why the viruses impact will not be the same in the U.S. as it has been in West Africa.