(Welcome to our weekly pet column, courtesy of Pet Connection Programs Inc. of Marilla. We post a new article each week, so be sure to check back on a regular basis!)

Taking active, preventive measures to support your health is one of the most important things you can do to ward off serious illness. You eat right, exercise, brush your teeth and make sure to get plenty of sleep, all to keep your body running at its very best.

A strong public health infrastructure and international aid are crucial to containing the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, a panel of experts said at a discussion held last week at Daemen College.

“The appropriate infrastructure and control strategy to contain this disease is not in place where the outbreak is at its worst in West Africa,” said Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein. “The level of global response will determine how quickly the disease can be kept from spreading or stopped and we must make sure the intensive medical care required reaches these patients.”

A capacity crowd turned out for Daemen’s timely Ebola panel discussion, which also included Dr. Joseph Sahr Sankoh, Daemen associate professor of political science and African affairs, and Anthony Saysay, a native Liberian.

East Aurora resident Steven Helmicki, president of Primordial Strength Inc., a top-level private gym located in Elma, has launched www.anticoncussion.com and developed two USA-manufactured neck training machines and two field manuals that teach progressive, safe neck training. Helmicki has also developed a coaching certification program to reduce the number of concussions among athletes.