Texas Nurse With Ebola Had Visited Northeast Ohio

The Ohio Department of Health says it is tracing contacts of a Texas nurse who recently visited northeast Ohio. The nurse tested positive for Ebola. State Epidemiologist, Doctor Mary DiOrio says state officials received notice Wednesday morning about the nurse's Ohio visit. "So this morning the CDC notified the Ohio Department of Health that the second health care worker in Dallas, diagnosed with Ebola, visited family in Akron from October 8th to 13th," DiOrio said. Doctor DiOrio says Ohio officials are helping identify the 132 passengers on a Frontier Airline flight from Cleveland to Dallas. They are also working with the Summit County health department to identify individuals who had personal contact with the nurse during the six day Ohio visit. Kent State University says three of its employees are related to the nurse who visited family in Ohio 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. Information is being gathered about whether the nurse showed symptoms while in Ohio. Ebola is spread through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of someone with the virus. The hospital worker was involved in the care of a Liberian man who died of Ebola last week at a Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. The airplane's crew said the nurse had no symptoms of Ebola during the flight. But the next morning she developed a fever and on Tuesday night tested positive for Ebola. This story includes content from WOSU Staff