ASU epidemiologist addresses spread of Ebola

West Africa is being ravaged by the largest ever outbreak of Ebola, a disease with a death rate of up to 90 percent.

As two Americans infected with the virus are transported back to the U.S. for care, concerns about the possibility of a domestic outbreak are rising.

Arizona State University epidemiologist Gerardo Chowell-Puente was asked by Dallas Morning News’ Seema Yasmin to offer his take on the situation.

Chowell-Puente, associate professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, uses mathematical models to gain understanding of how diseases spread. In the case of Ebola, his work indicates that its transmission across borders can be “exponential.”

But he is optimistic about U.S. authorities’ ability to contain the disease, should it emerge stateside.

“The health care system here would be able to control the spread,” Chowell-Puente said, noting the recent, quickly ended incursion of MERS into the United States.

“If you’re able to control this virus at the source, you have a chance at stopping an outbreak from ever happening,” he added.