NC County Health Departments Collaborate with Universities to Monitor Ebola

Many health professionals believe North Carolina not at risk for the Ebola virus.

North Carolina's county health departments are educating area colleges and universities about the Ebola virus.  They are also asking them to identify students, faculty and staff who've recently traveled to West Africa. Alyson Best is with Emergency Preparedness at the Guilford County Health Department. She says she's spoken with the physicians and nurses running student health centers at all eight of the county's universities. "During the summer a lot of students and faculty travel," explains Best. "Also, we know we have students coming from all over the world to study here in Guilford County.” About 23 students attending Guilford County colleges are from Nigeria. Best also says each county health department has given a one page information sheet to universities so they can distribute it amongst students and faculty.

Ebola is a disease that affects humans and other primates. It's transferred through contact with infected blood and/or body fluids. A few days after contracting the virus, a person will develop a fever, sore throat, muscle pain, headaches, rash, vomiting and diarrhea. Eventually, the patient's liver and kidney will stops functioning and they will bleed internally and externally.

In Forsyth County, there are six colleges and universities. At Wake Forest University (WFU), Dr. Cecil Price is the medical director of Student Health Service. He says about five students are from West Africa and one faculty member recently traveled to the area. Dr. Price is confident residents in the Triad and North Carolina are not at risk for this virus. “The public health management system in the United States and locally is very, very good and so the risk of it spreading here is very, very low,” says Dr. Price. He also explains he and his staff have been trained in precautionary measures in the event of an emergency.

In a released statement, administrators at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) say to their knowledge, none of their students and faculty have recently traveled to any of the infected West African nations. "Our efforts are in an ongoing collaboration with the UNC system, along with state and local health officials," WSSU spokesman. Officials also say they have in place an emergency plan. 

There is no cure for the deadly Ebola virus. Since March, it has killed more than 1,500 people in several West African nations.