Matthew Davis in Freep on Michigan Ebola worries

October 7, 2014

“Michigan health care professionals are ready to deal with the threat of the Ebola virus that is now on American shores,” report Cassandra Spratling and Eric D. Lawrence of the Detroit Free Press in the October 2 story, “Ebola’s U.S. arrival comes with concerns for Michigan.” http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2014/10/02/ebola-causes-…  Dr. Matthew Davis, Michigan’s chief medical executive and a professor of public policy at the Ford School, spoke with the reporters about the state’s planning and outreach initiatives to date.

“What the public should know is that the public health system across the state has been preparing for the possibility of a person being diagnosed here for several weeks now,” Davis told the press. While the state has been taking preventive measures, and putting plans in place, Davis emphasized that the risk of the virus spreading to the U.S. is very low. Davis encourages families to spend more time and attention focusing on immediate health risks like the influenza virus, which causes thousands of deaths annually. Fortunately, says Davis, we have an effective vaccine for the flu; he encourages the public to get vaccinated.

Dr. Matthew Davis is a professor of pediatrics and communicable diseases, internal medicine, and public policy at the University of Michigan. He is also director of the University of Michigan Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health, (link is external) and chief medical executive for the state of Michigan.