Two Northeast Ohio Teachers May Have Been Exposed to Ebola Virus

10/16/2014

A Northeast Ohio area teacher was on board the same plane that carried Amber Vinson, the Dallas nurse who travelled through Cleveland and was hours later diagnosed with Ebola virus. Two Solon schools announced that they will be closed on Thursday as a precaution after learning that a Solon Middle School staff member traveled home from Dallas on Frontier Airlines on Tuesday on a different flight, and an elementary teacher from Cleveland who confirmed contact with an Ebola infected person will be staying home from work until cleared by health officials to return to work.

Solon sent the following email to parents:

“Solon Middle School and Parkside Elementary School will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, October 16, as a precaution. We learned today that an SMS staff member traveled home from Dallas on Frontier Airlines Tuesday on a different flight, but perhaps the same aircraft, as the Texas nurse with Ebola.

This circumstance came to light late in the day and we have been working since then to get as much information as possible from public health authorities. Although we believe what the science community and public health officials are telling us about the low risk of possible transmission of the virus through indirect contact, we are nonetheless taking the unusual step of closing the dual school building for Thursday so that we can have the schools cleaned and disinfected.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health officials were clear that they do not consider our staff member to be at risk since she did not come in direct contact with the Texas nurse and was not on the same flight. It is important to remember that Ebola is spread through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids (such as feces, saliva, urine, vomit, semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola, according to the CDC.

There was no public health recommendation to close the schools and we do not believe there is a risk to our students and staff. However, we made the decision to close Solon Middle and Parkside for tomorrow out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our students and staff. We will stay in close communication with local public health authorities moving forward and our staff member will not be at work during the self-monitoring period to ensure she is asymptomatic before returning to school.”

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District confirmed that it was made aware that a teacher who works at Cranwood School may have come into contact with a person diagnosed with Ebola virus. City Health Officials have assured officials that students, staff, and families were not at risk, but CMSD has taken several precautions to ease any concerns about safety at the school. Overnight, the school is being cleaned with a bleach-based cleaning solution in accordance with the guidelines provided by the CDC.

The teacher is at home and will remain at home until cleared by health officials to return to work. CMSD insists that the measures taken at Cranwood were strictly precautionary.

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