Officials designate Omaha, NE as possible flashpoint for the next impending zombie apocalypse

Government officials have designated Omaha as a dumping ground for taking people infected with BSL-4 agents

An emergency medical drill took place on Friday, designating the City of Omaha as one of only a handful of cities across the nation willing to accept multiple patients infected with the world's most deadly contagious infectious diseases.

Nebraska Medicine's willingness to take in more than one patient at a time infected
with a BSL-4 agent is taking a big risk of losing containment of the contagion

It sounds like a science fiction fantasy scenario of the beginning of the next zombie apocalypse as seen on TV shows like The Walking Dead, but as one of only a handful of bio-safety level 4 (BSL-4) containment centers around the world willing to take in more than one patient infected with the world's most deadly infectious diseases at a time, Omaha may be a likely potential flash point or hot zone for the spread of the next global pandemic of epic proportions.

Only two years ago, Omaha's Nebraska Medicine was on the front lines taking in and treating patients from West Africa infected with the deadly Ebola virus during the worst outbreak of the virus in recorded history. Three patients diagnosed with the virus were brought into Omaha, and two survived. Luckily for us, the virus didn't break containment.

Patient exposed to the Ebola virus hospitalized in Omaha

Another American exposed to Ebola is brought to UNMC for quarantine and treatment in Omaha, NE 

An American health worker exposed to the Ebola virus while working in Sierra Leone, Africa arrived in Omaha, NE Sunday and is now being monitored at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in its level-four biohazard containment unit on campus.

Safety measures taken 'out of an abundance of caution' in transporting patients
exposed to the Ebola virus in West Africa at Epply Airfield in Omaha

Paramedics were taking no chances in handling the patient so they were wearing full-body protective gear akin to a NASA space suit as they took an Ebola patient, who has not been identified, by ambulance from a plane that arrived at Eppley Airfield around 1:45 p.m. to the hospital, which has a specialized biocontainment unit.

"I can't comment on if the patient does or doesn't have any kind of symptoms at this point, but I can say the crew inside the biocontainment unit, the crew that received the patient at the airport, is treating this patient as if he or she does have the virus, just out of an abundance of caution," said UNMC spokesman Taylor Wilson.

“This patient has been exposed to the virus, but is not ill and is not contagious,” said Dr. Phil Smith, medical director of the level-4 biocontainment unit. “However, we will be taking all appropriate precautions. This patient will be under observation in the same room used for treatment of the first three patients and will be carefully monitored to see if Ebola disease develops.”