JEFFERSON CITY - Today (10-22), Sen. David Pearce, R-Warrensburg, participated in a Senate Appropriations hearing on Missouri’s preparedness and costs associated with the Ebola virus.

“It is important that we recognize the possibility of this dangerous infection,” Sen. Pearce said, “because knowledge and preparation are the greatest tools in our arsenal against this dreaded virus.”

The hearing, held in the Capitol, included various members of the General Assembly, and also presentations from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the Department of Public Safety. The hearing focused on two main issues, avoiding the effects of the virus and how the state would respond in the event of an infection. The coordination of these departments, along with local law enforcement would, in the event of an Ebola infection, hopefully minimize contact between exposed or infected individuals and healthy citizens.

“So far in the U.S., only three people have developed symptoms of this deadly virus,” Sen. Pearce said. “By assembling a preparedness plan, we are establishing a protocol that can be used to protect all Missourians and keep our citizens as safe as possible.”

For more information on the Ebola virus and how it can effect citizens, please visit the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services web site, www.health.mo.gov or the Center for Disease Control, www.cdc.gov.

For more information about any of Sen. Pearce’s legislative actions, please visit his Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov/pearce.