No Ohioans caught Ebola after return from visit in Africa

None of the more than 40 Ohioans being monitored for exposure to Ebola last month went on to develop any symptoms.

At least 44 Ohioans thought to have been exposed to Ebola completed their 21-day quarantine without falling ill with the virus, Ohio Department of Health spokeswoman Alicia Shoults said via email. In late March, they had all recently returned from remote areas of Africa with active outbreaks.

Columbus Public Health was helping to monitor 42 people while Franklin County Public Health is assisting in monitoring three, spokespeople for each department said in March.

Keeping an eye on people who have traveled to parts of the world where there are outbreaks of dangerous diseases is common practice for health departments, officials told The Dispatch.

Although standard protocol, the Ebola news drew attention as Ohio and the country as a whole continues to grapple with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ohioans being monitored were still considered to be at a “very low risk” of having contracted the deadly virus, according to a fivepage statement released in March in which Gov. Mike DeWine explained why he vetoed Senate Bill 22.

Ohio has been coordinating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since March 6 to monitor people traveling from affected countries, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, medical director of the Ohio Department of Health said during one of DeWine’s COVID-19 briefings last month.

Travelers who may have been exposed to the Ebola virus are to be monitored for 21 days to see if any symptoms develop, Vanderhoff said.