Amber Vinson, a nurse from Texas who was treating Ebola patient Thomas Duncan, visited Akron, OH for six days before flying back to Texas. When she returned, it was discovered that she had the viral infection.
In an e-mail to Ohio State students sent today, Steven Gabbe (Senior Vice President) and Andrew Thomas (Senior Associate Vice president for Health Sciences) reminded students that there is no risk of contracting Ebola without direct contact with a person with active symptoms of the virus.
In the email, Gabbe and Thomas told students, “The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Student Life’s Health Center continue to be at a high level of preparedness for any potential case of Ebola Viral Disease (EVD). We continue to be in close contact with Columbus Public Health, the Ohio Department of Health, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other hospitals across the state to aggressively monitor all developments in this situation.”
They warned that if you have traveled to the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone or have been in direct contact with a person with active EVD and have a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher and any symptoms including diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, headache, muscle pain, or unexplained bruises or bleeding, you should not travel until you have been to a healthcare facility.
Image source: campusparc.com