CONNECTICUT CHILDREN'S TO HOST EBOLA WEBINAR NOVEMBER 19

HARTFORD, Conn., Nov. 17, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ebola seems to be all anyone is talking about these days and with the most recent case now confirmed in New York City, many are scrambling with questions about the potential for an outbreak in the United States. Though there are no proven treatments at this time, modern medical intervention has shown to be effective. However, a person infected with Ebola cannot spread the disease until symptoms appear.

In light of all the news coverage and questions swirling around this disease, Connecticut Children's Medical Center will hold a webinar on Ebola Wednesday, November 19 from 12:15 – 1:15 PM. The webinar, presented by Nicholas Bennett, MD, Medical Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases & Immunology, will address the actual risks related to the current outbreak from both a natural health and epidemiological point of view.

The hour-long webinar will feature Infectious Disease expert, Dr. Nicholas Bennett, who will share his medical perspective and put common myths to rest about the virus that has made headlines across the nation. Topics discussed will include:

• Disease transmission
• Risk assessment
• Treatment options
• Potential for cross continental spread
• How to discuss Ebola with patients

A Q &A session will follow. To register, please visit www.ctchildrenswebinar.com.This webinar is free and open to the public.

About Dr. Bennett:
Dr. Bennett is the co-director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Connecticut Children's Medical Center, where he is tasked with improving the usage of antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs. Dr. Bennett attended medical school in Cambridge, England, where he specialized in viral and genetic pathology. He undertook a PhD in the molecular biology of HIV viral packaging, specifically looking at RNA/protein interactions. He then moved to the United States and worked as a research associate in the Department of Pediatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, where he analyzed laboratory data of mouse models of severe childhood respiratory infections and was involved with several clinical trials of childhood vaccines. He was accepted into the Pediatric Residency program at SUNY Upstate where he continued to publish and contribute to clinical research. Dr. Bennett was twice awarded the Gold Foundation award for Humanism and Excellence in Teaching and voted by the student body into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honors Society. He stayed on as the Fellow for Pediatric Infectious Diseases, where his research focused on the detection and effects of respiratory viral infections in premature babies. During his fellowship, Dr. Bennett also developed an interest in the diagnosis and management of immune deficiency and velocardiofacial syndrome. Dr. Bennett has developed medical education curricula in patient-centered care and communication skills and the effective use of antibiotics.

About Connecticut Children's Medical Center
Connecticut Children's Medical Center is a nationally recognized, 187-bed not-for-profit children's hospital serving as the primary teaching hospital for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Named among the best in the nation for two of its pediatric specialties in the annual U.S. News & World Report "Best Children's Hospitals" rankings, Connecticut Children's is the only free-standing children's hospital in Connecticut that offers comprehensive, world-class health care to children. Our pediatric services are available at Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford and at Saint Mary's Hospital in Waterbury, with neonatal intensive care units at Hartford Hospital and the University of Connecticut Health Center, along with a state-of-the-art ambulatory surgery center, five specialty care centers and 11 other locations across the state. Connecticut Children's has a medical staff of nearly 1,100 practicing in more than 30 specialties.

For more information, visit www.connecticutchildrens.org or connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/connecticutchildrens and Twitter at www.twitter.com/ctchildrens.