Ohio strengthens ebola response protocols

COLUMBUS

State health officials are now urging anyone who had direct contact or was in close proximity to the Texas health care worker diagnosed with Ebola to take extra precautions over the next three weeks.

The Ohio Department of Health issued the "stronger recommended quarantine protocols" for local health departments responding to confirmed or suspected cases of the virus in the state.

The guidelines include urging anyone who had direct contact with someone infected, "including a brief contact such as a handshake without personal protective equipment," to be quarantined from contact with others for 21 days.

Also, health officials recommended anyone who came "within a 3-foot radius... of the infected individual for a prolonged period of time" to check temperatures and potential other symptoms twice a day for three weeks.

Even those who were not in direct contact but who were in the vicinity of the Dallas woman during her five-day stay in the state are being urged to monitor their health more closely.

Those who develop symptoms, including "an oral temperature of 100.4 degrees or greater, or ... muscle aches, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea or bruising/bleeding," should contact their doctor for further testing.

"The ODH guidelines are being recommended out of an abundance of caution to take strong measures to protect Ohio residents," Mary DiOrio, state epidemiologist and interim chief of the ODH Bureau of Prevention and Health Promotion, said in a released statement. "It has become clear that we cannot be too careful in efforts to contain the spread of this deadly disease."

The Texas woman was in the Akron area visiting family and took a commercial flight home from Cleveland on Monday night. She was diagnosed with Ebola the following day.

Health officials said there have been no confirmed cases of the virus in the state.