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1 Isolated In Summit County After Nurse’s Ebola Diagnosis
By: Associated Press
Posted on:
Update 5:51 p.m. Health officials say one person in Ohio has been voluntarily quarantined after having household contact with the Texas nurse who recently visited Ohio and was later diagnosed with Ebola.
Summit County officials say the individual self-quarantined Tuesday after the family of 29-year-old nurse Amber Joy Vinson was notified that she had developed Ebola symptoms.
Vinson was visiting family in the Akron area and flew back to Dallas on Monday before being diagnosed with Ebola.
Summit County Medical Director Marguerite Erme said at a news conference Wednesday that the quarantined person hasn't left home since Tuesday and that health officials will be monitoring the person's condition. No name was released.
Erme says that the person is not showing symptoms and that there is no risk to the public.
Update 4:00 p.m. Ohio Gov. John Kasich issued a statement Wednesday in response to news that the second Dallas nurse who tested positive for Ebola traveled to Cleveland:
"I have been fully briefed on the federal, state and local activities that are underway and have directed state health officials to aggressively respond to the situation and provide local health officials every resource and support they need.
Every effort must be taken to identify those at risk, monitor their health and avoid further risk."Ohio has a sophisticated state and local public health network that has been preparing for this possibility for several months and those plans are now being activated. The Department of Health's epidemiologists are on-site in Summit County to support local efforts and are in ongoing communication with the CDC to make sure we have the most up-to-date information.
"The risk to people who have had no direct contact with the nurse remains very low, but everyone is seeking to apply lessons from Dallas and we are responding aggressively to this situation, with a priority on public communication that is open, timely and accurate. We will continue to provide as much information as soon as possible and provide local health car providers the resources they need to keep Ohioans safe."
Update 2:50 p.m. City and airport officials say Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is disinfecting key areas of the facility and providing personal protection for equipment employees after learning that a passenger who departed there Monday has Ebola.
A statement from those officials says the airport is implementing its infectious disease protocol and that the steps it is taking exceed guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The city says its emergency medical responders have added Ebola-specific questions to better screen incoming calls for medical help.
The Cleveland Department of Public Health says the passenger was visiting family in northeast Ohio to prepare for her wedding. She is a nurse in Dallas.
Passengers who were on Monday's Frontier Airlines Flight 1143 to Dallas with her have been asked to call the CDC.
Update 2:42 p.m. Kent State University in northeast Ohio says three of its employees are related to a Texas nurse who visited family in Ohio and flew from Cleveland to Dallas shortly before she was diagnosed with Ebola.
A university statement says the woman stayed with her family in Summit County but didn't visit the Kent State campus. The school has asked those three employees to remain off campus for three weeks.
Health officials say the woman visited family between Oct. 8-13 and flew Monday to Dallas. They're not sure how many people came into contact with her.
The state epidemiologist says health officials are working to identify and alert people who may have been in close contact with the woman and implement quarantines if necessary.
Update 2:05 p.m. The Director for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the Dallas nurse "should not have traveled."
In a conference call, Director Tom Frieden said "she was in a group of individuals known to have exposure to Ebola," he said. "She should not have traveled on a commercial airline. We will from this moment forward ensure that no other individual who is being monitored for exposure undergoes travel in any way other than controlled movement.”
Update 12:36 p.m. Health officials are alerting airline passengers who were on the same flight as a Texas nurse who was diagnosed with Ebola the next day.
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) confirmed in a conference call today that the second Dallas nurse diagnosed with Ebola traveled to Cleveland.
The nurse was on Frontier Airlines flight 11-43 from Cleveland to Dallas-Fort Worth on Monday.
Dr. Mary DiOrio, State Epidemiologist and interim Chief of the Division of Prevention and Health Promotion for ODH said the individual was visiting family in Akron from Oct. 8-13.
In a media release, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced passenger notification is underway.
The CDC is asking all 132 passengers on that flight to call 1-800-232-4636.
The CDC says that health care worker "exhibited no signs or symptoms of illnesss while on flight 1143, according to the crew."
Infected Ebola patients are not considered contagious until they have symptoms.
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) confirmed in a conference call Wednesday that the second Dallas nurse diagnosed with Ebola traveled to Cleveland.
Dr. Mary DiOrio confirmed the individual traveled Oct. 8-13. It is unclear whether the health care worker stayed in the Cleveland area or in Summit County.
ODH confirmed they are working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to identify individuals who may have come in close contact with the nurse.
There is no word yet if the flight crew was quarantined or if the nurse was showing symptoms at the time of travel.
ODH said they do not have all the details at this time.