Perry Reached Out to De Blasio, Cuomo About Ebola

After news broke on Thursday that a doctor in New York City had tested positive for Ebola, Texas Gov. Rick Perry reached out to the city's mayor, Bill de Blasio, to offer the state's support. 

An official in the governor's office said Perry spoke with de Blasio and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo separately on Friday, offering to provide any help they require from the Lone Star State, which has been grappling with its own response to the virus.

The country's first Ebola diagnosis occurred in Dallas in late September. It proved fatal to the patient, Thomas Eric Duncan. Two nurses who treated him later tested positive for the virus.

One of the nurses, 26-year-old Nina Pham, was declared Ebola-free on Friday, which Perry said in a statement was "certainly reason to celebrate."

In his phone calls with New York's elected officials, the source said, Perry discussed the need to counter misconceptions about how the disease is spread, and he highlighted the work of the Texas Task Force on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response, which he formed earlier this month to craft recommendations and a statewide plan for handling such illnesses.

Improving communication, both with the public and among responders, was a topic of much disussion at the task force's first public hearing held on Thursday.