Texas nurse Nina Pham, 26, was identified ?on Monday as the first person who has ever been infected with Ebola inside the United States. But wait, there’s more. Here little dog, ?Bentley, has been quarantined, too.
Hazmat workers suited up on Monday to remove Bentley, a?Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, from Pham’s Dallas apartment. He has actually been stranded in the apartment since Pham was hospitalized on Friday.
Although no dog has ever been known to spread Ebola, the CDC confirms that it is possible and a city of Dallas?spokeswoman said that authorities in the city are taking “every precaution.”?A 2005 study in Gabon, Africa, suggests that while dogs can be infected with Ebola, they do?not suffer any symptoms.?The agency noted that it’s?unclear if Ebola can be spread via?a pet’s body, fur, or paws.
?At this time, there have been no reports of dogs or cats becoming sick with Ebola or of being able to spread Ebola to people or animals,? the CDC said Monday.
Pham was reportedly infected through a ?breach in protocol? while caring Liberian Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan. Duncan later died of the disease. The CDC reports that Pham is in??clinically stable? condition after being?given a transfusion of plasma from the blood of American doctor Kent Brantley who survived the disease. Dr. Brantley’s?plasma contains Ebola-fighting antibodies. He himself was given a transfusion (while still in Liberia) from a boy who he cured of Ebola.
Pham graduated from Texas Christian University’s nursing school in 2010 and?received her certificate in Critical Care Nursing on August 1, NBC News reports.
?When she got into nursing school, she was really excited,? a friend told the Dallas Morning News. ?Her mom would tell her how it’s really hard, and a bunch of her friends quit doing it because it was so stressful. But she was like, ?This is what I want to do.???
Bentley is quarantined?at the Dallas Animal Services and Adoption Center, where he will be tested for Ebola, Dallas city spokeswoman Sana Syed said.
?Bentley is in his new temp home,? Syed tweeted. ?He’s wagging his tail and eating dinner!?
During his quarantine, he won’t be walked outside, but?he will receive frequent visitors from caregivers in protective gear.
?We’re not going to put him in a cage for 21 days and say, ?Good luck,??? Syed?said. ?We’re going to do our best so that the dog is in the best mental state when he is returned to his owner.?
I’ve personally been to that facility on numerous occasions. My impression was that the staff is genuinely caring and I’ve never seen the shelter anything but clean.?Officials?will be taking photos of Bentley so that Pham knows he’s doing fine.
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Tiffany Willis is a fifth-generation Texan and the founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal America. An unapologetic member of the Christian Left, she has spent most of her career actively working with ?the least of these? and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. She’s passionate about their struggles. To stay on top of topics she discusses,?like her?Facebook page,?follow her on Twitter, or?connect with her via LinkedIn. She also has?a?grossly neglected personal blog?and a?literary quotes blog that is a labor of love. Find her somewhere and join the discussion.
