COLUMBUS, Ohio – Staff from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are joining Ohio health authorities in the Akron suburb of Tallmadge Thursday to trace anyone who may have been in contact with a nurse from Texas who was diagnosed with the Ebola virus after returning from northeast Ohio on Tuesday.
Amber Vinson, 29, stayed at her mother and stepfather’s home over the weekend, Tallmadge Police Lt. Ron Williams said. Vinson had treated the Liberian man who died of Ebola in a Dallas hospital. She flew back to Dallas from Cleveland Monday before she herself was diagnosed with the virus.
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Police have cordoned off the Tallmadge house with yellow tape and Summit County officials say one individual who had household contact with Vinson had self-quarantined at home Tuesday.
The state has issued recommendations for health professionals when it comes to dealing with Ebola.
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After learning of Vinson’s presence in Ohio Wednesday, the state Health Department began working with Summit County health officials contact family members she stayed with, identify all those with whom the nurse may have had direct contact while in Ohio and work with the CDC to trace passengers on the flights Vinson took to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and back to Dallas
“We’ve been preparing with our local health care partners for this possibility for several months and are putting that preparation into action now. Summit County’s health department responded quickly and we’re in constant contact with them to give them the support and resources they need,” said Dr. Mary DiOrio, state epidemiologist and interim chief of the state’s Bureau of Prevention and Health Promotion.
Once all passengers have been identified, the state Health Department will use the list to contact local health departments, which will follow up with the passengers who live in their jurisdictions to talk with them about their possible exposure and to determine whether any actions are necessary. DiOrio said.
Columbus Public Health
Franklin County Public Health
At Gov. John Kasich’s request, the CDC has agreed to send an agency liaison to Ohio and additional epidemiological staff to help state and local health care officials conduct contact tracing, the work of identifying people with whom the patient may have had contact, DiOrio said.
“We are in the process of identifying those people with whom this patient may have had close contact so we can monitor them and prevent any further spread of the disease. We’re also continuing to update local health care providers so they can be on the lookout with us for other possible cases,” she said.