Last Thursday, the New
York Times
and Huffington
Post reported that several schools in Texas
and Ohio had closed for cleaning in response to a threat of potential exposure
to Amber Vinson, the second nurse infected with the Ebola virus at Texas Health
Presbyterian Hospital. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is
currently tracking and reevaluating the health risk of passengers who were on
Vinson’s flights between Cleveland and Dallas, causing some schools to take
caution by temporarily quarantining their campuses and ensuring any potentially
exposed students and staff stay at home.
While Vinson was not showing any symptoms on her flights, and CDC guidelines
state that only individuals who come into direct contact with Ebola patients exhibiting
symptoms are at risk of contracting the virus, it still does not diminish the
general public’s anxiety about the disease. The CDC and the Department of
Education (DOE) are currently working on protocols for schools so that district
leaders will know how to address the Ebola virus if any threat emerges. As soon
as we receive any updates and additional information, we will post it on the
network, so please stay tuned.
In the meantime, please take a look at this PDF about Ebola, which includes general facts, prevention and emergency response
tips, and additional resources that we have gathered for you.
Thank you.
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John D. Musso, CAE
Executive Director
ASBO International
jmusso@asbointl.org
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