ORIGINAL POST 11:01 a.m.: Gov. Rick Perry today announced the formation of a 17-member task force to better the state’s readiness to deal with pandemic diseases.
The formation of the blue-ribbon group followed lapses at Dallas’ Presbyterian Hospital that sent a man infected with Ebola home.
Perry pointed out the need to improve screening procedures and build on existing preparedness and response.
Dr. Brett Giroir, the head of Texas A&M Health Science Center, will serve as director of the task force, which includes Dr. Peter Hotez, who is the founding dean of Baylor College of Medicine’s National School of Tropical Medicine.
In addition are top state officials from environmental, health, education, transportation and public safety agencies.
UPDATE 11:45 a.m.: Perry cited the state’s response to other disasters, including the Space Shuttle explosion and the Hurricane Katrina evacuation, to say there have always been mistakes made and lessons to be learned.
“We have learned a lot about the unique challenges of situations like this, and it’s important that we continue to adapt our response to these realities,” the governor said.
Perry, who has been readying himself for another presidential run, also took his opportunity in the spotlight to critique the federal government and its response.
He called for improved screening for travelers coming from those areas in West Africa that have been stricken with the Ebola outbreak. But he disagreed with Sen. Ted Cruz, who has called for a travel ban from those countries.
“We have the ability to track individuals all through the air transportation system. For people who either traveled through those countries or initiated from those countries, I would suggest we need to have screening in the United States,” Perry said.
He suggested the screening at ports of entry could be as simple as using thermometers to take temperatures to see if the travelers exhibit symptoms.
“I think the screening process will do the better job than stopping all travel out of those countries,” Perry said.
Giroir said he envisioned his job to create a guide for state resources to ensure that once a contagious disease is identified, that all the logistical, permitting, legal and procedural requirements are addressed.
For instance, he said, the state could create protocols that could address in advance the permitting and other issues that have delayed the decontamination and waste disposal of linens, clothing and other items owned by Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan.
“We are trying to allow the experts on the ground to do the job that they’re designed to do and taking all the administrative issues or other issues that we can do out of their hands,” Giroir said.
He reiterated that all proper monitoring and control procedures are in place and working.
“The key to doing the job today is to monitor the contacts, make sure they are not further exposing anyone and if they have symptoms, they are treated immediately,” Giroir said.
“We are in the background helping with a lot of the unforeseen issues to take the load off of the actual incident command to the degree that we can,” he said.