Residents of Dallas, Texas are wary as health experts continue to observe those who were in contact with the first Ebola patient in the United States.
The man, who flew to Texas via Brussels from Liberia and later fell ill with the haemorrhagic fever, is in a serious but stable condition.
However, concerns remain for up to 18 other people who have had contact with him.
“Is this something we should all be freaking out over?” asked one talkback host.
Texas governor Rick Perry assured residents that the situation was under control.
“Today we learned that some school age children had contact with the patient,” he said.
“[They] are being monitored at home for any signs of the disease.
“I know that parents are being extremely concerned about that development, but let me assure that these children have been identified, monitored and the disease cannot be transmitted before having any symptoms.”
While the children went to four different schools on Monday, officials said the children were not showing symptoms and chance of them being infectious was low.
Authorities also stressed the man’s relatives had not been placed in quarantine, but had been advised to put themselves into voluntary isolation.
“If they do not follow that advice then additional steps can be taken,” said David Lakey from Texas State health services.
“As of right now we’re working with the family to ensure that they do as we are advising them to limit the spread of the disease.”
The Centres for Disease Control has sent a seven-person team to Dallas to help local authorities track any other possible contacts other than the 18 already identified.
“What we need to do first in this particular instance is do everything possible to help this individual who’s really fighting for their life,” said CDC director Thomas Frieden.
“Then make sure that … we don’t have other people exposed in the hospital, identify all those contacts and monitor them for 21 days.”
Ebola’s incubation period is three weeks.
“It’s not impossible that one or two of them would develop symptoms and then they would need to be isolated,” he said.
Among the 18 people identified for monitoring were the emergency crew that brought the man to the hospital on Sunday.
Their ambulance remains outside the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas and has been taped off to stop any further use as a precaution.