South Texas doctor explains Ebola from different perspective

BROWNSVILLE, TX -- While the struggle to contain Ebola continues in Dallas, one South Texas doctor knows exactly what an ebola scare feels like, because he came face to face with the disease.

Dr. Joseph McCormick, of the UT School of Public Health, wrote the book about his experiences tracking down Ebola for the CDC; he says the hospital in Dallas made a fundamental error when first treating that Ebola patient. He himself made a huge error when treating Ebola patients in Africa three decades ago.

"I made a mistake," Dr. McCormick said.

When McCormick was using a syringe to draw blood from a suspected Ebola patient in the 1970's, the unthinkable happened.

"Stuck the needle in my thumb after it had been in her arm," he said.

Fortunately, McCormick did not come down with the disease. In his book Level 4, Virus Hunters of the CDC, McCormick makes the point that Ebola outbreaks in developed countries will be contained with far fewer victims than West Africa because hospitals here are better prepared to handle Ebola.

So what does he think about the Dallas hospital workers who sent an Ebola stricken man home?

"Unbelievable," he said.

McCormick says the error will shake the public's confidence that the Ebola can be contained, but he still has faith that U.S. medical procedures will keep Ebola from running wild in this country.

"The only fatal part of it may be the guy whose treatment was delayed, but it is not likely to result in anything else that is catastrophic or fatal," he said.

But McCormick says he will not be surprised if there is another Dallas Ebola case.

"It increased the risk for his close contacts and I think that is something that the folks who made the error are going to have to live with," he said.

McCormick does not think air travel should be stopped from Ebola-infected countries because he says victims will still find a way to the US. He does believe the checks in place at points of entry are good enough.