The following is from Scott Frank, MD, MS, director of the Shaker Heights Health Department and medical director of the Shaker Heights City Schools.
Now that we are more than two weeks after the threat of Ebola first visited Northeast Ohio and Shaker Heights, we are in a good position to do some stock taking.
1. It is very encouraging that the closest contacts—family and friends— of the West African individual who brought Ebola to Texas have moved past the 21-day incubation period during which Ebola infection was possible. They are free of disease and released from quarantine and monitoring
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2. All Cuyahoga County residents exposed to the Northeast visitor later diagnosed with Ebola have been identified through detailed contact tracing. They are being monitored by public health. There remain no cases of Ebola in Ohio.
3. There have been no reports of fever or symptoms of Ebola among the group of contacts being monitored in Cuyahoga County or in Shaker Heights. Those exposed have cooperated with the utmost level of responsibility.
4. Detailed plans are in place to respond should any of these contacts develop health problems, including symptoms related to Ebola.
5. There is no evidence of risk of Ebola to Shaker residents or school children.
6. This event has resulted in unprecedented collaboration across the public health, safety forces, hospitals, education and health systems that serve Cuyahoga County. Lessons learned from this partnership will serve as an advantage regardless of what future public health emergencies we may face.
We are heartened by the calm, rational response of Shaker residents to this threat. The scientific consensus is that the risk of Ebola transmission in Ohio was always very low, but the severity of the consequences of the disease was sufficient to warrant the careful, rigorous, protective response mounted in our communities. We will continue to keep you posted until this threat is entirely gone.