AKRON, OHIO — The Ebola diagnosis of a Texas nurse who recently visited Ohio prompted a flurry of public health alerts, precautions and worries Wednesday as officials tried to determine who had close contact with her during her trip and keep the illness from spreading.
Officials said Cleveland Hopkins International Airport disinfected key areas of its facility and was providing personal protection for equipment employees. The airport director said the plane on which 29-year-old Amber Joy Vinson had flown back to Dallas was decontaminated twice, and would carry passengers from Cleveland to Denver on Wednesday afternoon. Vinson had treated the Liberian man who died of the disease in a Dallas hospital.
Medical records provided to The Associated Press by Thomas Eric Duncan's family show Vinson was actively engaged in caring for Duncan in the days before his death. The records show she inserted catheters, drew blood, and dealt with Duncan's body fluids.
In Ohio, local and state officials at multiple press conferences sought to ward off any public panic by emphasizing that the state has no cases of Ebola and many steps are being taken to limit further infection. Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson urged people to be reasonable and rely not on rumors but on facts.
"Is there a need for people to have precaution? Yes, there is," Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said Wednesday.
The Cleveland airport is implementing its infectious disease protocol, and the city of Cleveland said its emergency medical responders have added Ebola-specific questions to better screen incoming calls for medical help.
Kent State University, Vinson's alma mater, also was abuzz about its links to the Ebola case after the school announced that three employees related to Vinson have been asked to remain off campus for three weeks. Vinson didn't visit campus during her recent trip, the school said.
The announcement left freshman Katherine Fothergill concerned.
"I'm trying to stay calm," said Fothergill, 18.
Her boyfriend, 18-year-old student Jared Shoup, was less worried.
"I feel like it's not as big of a deal as people are making it out to be," he said.
Ebola is spread through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of someone with the virus. Cleveland officials said health officials informed them the nurse didn't show symptoms of Ebola while she was in Ohio, and the airplane's crew has said the nurse had no symptoms during the flight.
Passengers who were on Monday's Frontier Airlines Flight 1143 to Dallas with Vinson have been asked to call the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ohio and Summit County health officials are working with the CDC to identify and alert people who may have been in close contact with the woman and implement quarantines if necessary, said Ohio's state epidemiologist, Dr. Mary DiOrio.
DiOrio said health departments throughout Ohio will be kept apprised of the situation as officials continue their investigation.
http://www.macon.com/2014/10/15/3364700/texas-nurse-with-ebola-had-visited.html - http://www.macon.com/2014/10/15/3364700/texas-nurse-with-ebola-had-visited.html
Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2014/10/15/3364700/texas-nurse-with-ebola-had-visited.html#storylink=cpy