Ask Dr. Hallberg: Ebola in Minnesota

Dr. Jon Hallberg
Dr. Jon Hallberg is assistant professor in family medicine at the University of Minnesota, and medical director at Mill City Clinic. He is a regular medical analyst on MPR's All Things Considered.
Photo courtesy Tom Bloom

Ebola has killed nearly 900 people in Africa so far, including former Minnesotan Patrick Sawyer.

Sawyer was living in Liberia, but was on a business trip to Nigeria when he died. Minnesota has one of the largest Liberian populations outside of Liberia — about 30,000 people.

Hennepin County sent an alert to Twin Cities health professionals this week asking them to be aware of the travel history of their patients, but the threat of the disease spreading to Minnesota is still very low.

Dr. Jon Hallberg joined MPR News' Tom Crann to discuss how his clinic is responding to the alert.