On Sept. 30, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that a male patient at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas had tested positive for the Ebola virus, 10 days after the person returned from a trip to West Africa. The news came one week after the CDC noted that the West African nations of Liberia and Sierra Leone could have 1.4 million cases of the Ebola virus by Jan. 20 if the disease keeps following its current trajectory, without effective methods to contain it.

Joseph Oppong, professor of geography at the University of North Texas and current U.S. representative to the International Geographical Union Commission on Health and the Environment, is available to discuss how geography has impacted the spread of the Ebola virus and how the current outbreak compares to other pandemics.

Oppong tracks the spread of diseases using information about geography, demographics, health care delivery and social and cultural behavior. A native of Ghana, he often focuses on Africa.

Oppong may be reached at 940-369-7245 or at Oppong@unt.edu.