Texas Governor Rick Perry, whose state became the first to have a patient diagnosed with Ebola, has created a task force to prepare for the spread of a disease to a wider swath of the population.
A team of researchers in epidemiology and infectious disease led by Brett Giroir, the chief executive officer of the Texas A&M Health Science Center, will make recommendations for dealing with a pandemic such as Ebola, Perry said in a press release.
Thomas Eric Duncan was hospitalized with the illness just over a week ago after being rushed to the emergency room of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. Duncan, who had traveled to the U.S. from Liberia, remains in the hospital’s intensive-care unit in critical condition.
“Over the past several days we have learned a lot about the unique challenges of situations like this,” said Perry, a 64-year-old Republican. “This task force will develop a comprehensive, long-term plan to ensure Texas deals effectively with any potential outbreak.”