Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) today issued the following statement after officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first case of Ebola has been diagnosed in the United States at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, Texas, just 35 miles from Burgess’ North Texas Congressional district:

“Unfortunately, the inevitable has occurred. In this global age in which we live, this type of spread was very likely with an epidemic of this size and scope. The scale of this outbreak is unprecedented. More than 6,000 people are confirmed to be infected, and this number is known to be greatly underreported. While our country’s infection control capabilities and isolation techniques to contain the virus are strong, the seriousness of this virus and the ease with which it may be contracted makes intense vigilance in the monitoring of local contacts critical. 

“As a physician, I was concerned by this long before it was front page news and received numerous briefings with those tacking the outbreak, including the director of the CDC. I am concerned in particular with the disproportionate number of health care workers who were infected with this disease by working on the front lines. I was fully briefed on this specific situation just moments after the news broke, and I will remain in close contact with officials there in the coming weeks and months. 

“This is a grave situation that requires all hands on deck.”  

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