Good news for the family of a Dallas nurse who contracted Ebola while treating Thomas Eric Duncan: City officials won’t follow Madrid’s example in euthanizing the pets of Ebola patients.
Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings told USA Today that the dog will be kept in a safe location while its owner recovers. “This was a new twist,” he said. “The dog’s very important to the patient and we want it to be safe.” (Her family has requested anonymity, and the nurse has not been identified.)
The fate of Excalibur, the beloved 12-year-old rescue dog of Madrid nurse assistant Teresa Romero, another health-care worker who contracted the virus after treating patients evacuated from Liberia, attracted worldwide attention last week. Local officials euthanized the dog, even after a petition to save him got 400,000 signatures. Madrid leaders say they were concerned because dogs can carry the Ebola virus without showing symptoms, and they worried Excalibur could transmit the virus to others.
