Dallas Nurse Leaves Trail of Ebola Fears After Cleveland Trip
Amber Joy Vinson, the second health care worker to be infected with Ebola who then flew on a plane to Cleveland, left officials scrambling to retrace her steps in the area and identify anyone who may be at risk of contracting the virus.
She “should not have traveled on a commercial aircraft” because she had been exposed to the virus while caring for Thomas Eric Duncan, an Ebola patient who traveled to the U.S. from Liberia, Centers for Disease Control Director Dr. Tom Frieden said on Wednesday.
But a CDC spokesman later clarified to say that Vinson had in fact contacted the CDC before getting on her flight because she had a slight fever. She was told it would be okay to fly.
Now, officials are retracing her steps to stop any potential spread of the disease in its tracks.
The flight to Cleveland
Officials want to speak to travelers on Frontier Airlines Flight 1142, the health care worker’s Oct. 10 flight from Dallas to Cleveland, four days before she reported having symptoms. They believe she may have been ill well before returning to Dallas.
“The thinking has changed,” the CDC’s Dr. Chris Braden said. He added: “Our judgment is that we can’t rule it out.”
Significant contact in northeast Ohio
Summit County health officials said Vinson mostly limited her movements once in Ohio, knowing that she’d treated the index patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, but did venture out for contact with friends in the area.
“I think she was aware of what she had been through in Dallas, and so while she was here she was very careful around her family and anybody else that she was in contact with,” Gene Nixon, the county’s health commissioner, said on Thursday.
At least a dozen Ohioans are now being monitored, with eight in quarantine. Officials refused to identify them on Thursday, citing privacy laws, but said they were not showing any signs of illness.
The schools in the Cleveland area
A number of Cleveland-area schools are closed and classes canceled over fears that the Ebola-infected nurse had contact with faculty or students.
The Solon City School District in Northeast Ohio closed two elementary schools — in an “abundance of caution,” a spokesperson said — after it learned a teacher flew on the same day as Vinson did to Dallas (though not the same flight).
Two Cleveland area schools closed for disinfection Thursday as precaution against Ebola http://t.co/DFqARUkTwo pic.twitter.com/MCAWMl2w4K
— Stephen Wisnefski (@wisnefski) October 16, 2014
Students at Resnik Community Learning Center in Akron, Ohio, were told to go home — and stay there — when the school’s superintendent learned “a parent at the school had spent time with Ebola patient Amber Vinson when she visited the area this past weekend.”
And a private school, St. Joan of Arc Catholic School, was closed when staff found out a teacher’s husband was on Vinson’s flight, according to Cleveland.com.
“We’re taking all these steps as a precaution,” the school’s principle said. “Our main concern is the safety of the children.”
But experts said all the closures were unnecessary.
“It’s not a rational decision,” Dr. Andrew T. Pavia, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Utah, told the New York Times. “And it’s harmful, in that it’s going to further spread misunderstanding and irrational fear.”
“She was a very responsible person,” Dr. Marguerite Erme, medical director of Summit County Public Health, told USA Today. “She did not take undue risks. She seems to have limited her activity here.”
The bridal shop in Akron
Vinson and her five bridesmaids visited Coming Attractions on Saturday, an Akron, Ohio, bridal shop. The bridesmaids are all in quarantine, and now officials want others who were at the shop to call a hotline to see “whether they should be concerned or not,” according to Ohio public health officials.
Vinson was at Coming Attractions Sat to pick out bridesmaids’ dresses The owner’s interview ton. on Newschannel5. pic.twitter.com/HkZ1g60Mjl
— Sarah Buduson (@SarahBuduson) October 16, 2014
The owner told News Net 5’s Sarah Buduson that Vinson did not appear to be sick when she was in the store. The store was closed on Thursday.
#Akron bridal shop closed after Dallas nurse w/ #ebola stopped in during Ohio trip. Hear from owner at 6 pic.twitter.com/JXAUirStFh
— Tara Morgan (@tarawsyx6) October 16, 2014
The Frontier Airlines flight home
The nurse boarded Frontier Airlines Flight 1143 bound for Dallas on Oct. 13 and reported a fever the following day. As a result, the CDC says 132 passengers have a very low risk of exposure to the Ebola virus — and they’re still trying to track them down.
The customer who tested positive for Ebola, exhibited no symptoms or signs of illness while on flight. For more info: http://t.co/YrF4APKfhA
— Frontier Airlines (@FlyFrontier) October 15, 2014
The plane itself has been taken out of service and the area near the middle of the plane where Vinson sat is being totally reupholstered. The flight’s six-person crew is on a 21-day paid leave.
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