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Prince George, BC – �������� Assistant Professor of Nursing Dr. Greg Thomas-Reilly is joining the international effort to combat the Ebola virus by travelling to Liberia in November to help train local healthcare providers and be part of a rapid response team.

�������� Assistant Professor of Nursing Greg Thomas-Reilly.Download High Resolution Image.

Thomas-Reilly will be based in Yekepa in northern Liberia near borders with Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire and will work with International SOS a part of their Ebola training and response team.

“I feel compelled to go. This is something I’ve trained for my whole life,” says Thomas-Reilly “It would seem wrong to sit on the sidelines when you’ve spent more than 20 years preparing for situations like this.”

Thomas-Reilly has spent his professional career in the field of communicable diseases and has worked in Africa in the past to help treat and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. He joined the �������� faculty in April and will take a leave of absence from his job to help improve the situation in West Africa.

He understands the risks of travelling and working in Liberia, but also knows he can make a difference and help improve the capacity of the local healthcare authorities in dealing with the epidemic.

“I’m fascinated by infectious diseases but I’ve got a good dose of fear of them which I think is necessary,” says Thomas-Reilly. “I wouldn’t want anyone working with me or around me who isn’t humbled and scared of infectious diseases especially those like Ebola.”

Thomas-Reilly is also involved with proactive measures �������� is taking to educate students, faculty, and staff about Ebola and other communicable diseases. On Wednesday he participated in an Ebola and Influenza seminar on campus.

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