The death of the first United States-diagnosed Ebola patient has heightened concerns about Ebola across the country.  In an effort to gain a better understanding about this infectious disease WXXI's Second Opinion, presents a pair of programs the week to help answer your questions. Second Opinion “Special Edition: Ebola” airs this Thursday at 8:30 pm on WXXI-TV and we will also present a live call-in radio show Second Opinion LIVE “Ebola” on Friday, October 17 at 1:00 pm on AM 1370, WRUR-FM 88.5, and online at WXXI.org/listen.

In the special television episode, American missionary worker and Ebola survivor Nancy Writebol will share the story of some of her darkest days as the disease ravaged her body. Travel medicine doctor and vaccine expert Mark Shelly, MD from URMC and an infectious disease doctor will use Nancy’s case as a springboard to discuss disease transmission, diagnosis, treatment, drug and vaccine research and development, and what the Ebola crisis in West Africa means to its citizens, and to America. Complete information on the episode is available here at WXXI.org.

Then Friday on WXXI radio, Elissa Orlando invites a University of Rochester Infectious Disease Expert into our studio to help answer phone calls and Twitter questions from listeners. To find out more about the episode and how to interact, you can discover more on our web site.

Second Opinion is the only regularly scheduled health series on public television – and this timely special Ebola episode is being presented to public broadcasting stations across the country. It will also air on PBS World on Wednesday, October 22 at 7:30 pm. This is just another example of how WXXI and public media provides responsive and in-depth programming that you cannot find anywhere else.