A handout for pet owners: Understanding Ebola

As the country and the world struggle to manage the 2014 Ebola outbreak, concern over public health is high. And pet owners may have questions and concerns after Spanish health officials ordered the euthanasia of an Ebola patient's dog out of fear the pet could spread the disease. Response has been different in the United States. Health officials decided to isolate and monitor the 1-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel belonging to Nina Pham, a nurse who contracted the virus after caring for an Ebola patient at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. Print and distribute this handout with facts about Ebola and to help pet owners understand the minimal risk of contracting Ebola in the United States.