Family That Moved From Africa to Ocean City Doesn't Have Ebola

A family that recently moved to Ocean City from Africa is not infected with the ebola virus, the Ocean City Gazette reports.

The family doesn’t come from an infected area, and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Taylor says a thorough background check has been completed on the family, according to the report.

It is unclear what part of Africa the family comes from.

The report comes the same week that a family from Rwanda that recently moved to Burlington County voluntarily kept their children home from school an extra week beyond the necessary evaluation period.

At a school board meeting earlier this month, Taylor assured parents they shouldn’t be overly concerned about the threat of ebola in the school district.

There have been three confirmed cases of Ebola in the United States since Sept. 30, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

There has been one reported death linked to the disease.

A person can contract the virus through broken skin or unprotected mucous membranes in the eyes, nose or mouth if they come in direct contact with an infected person or their contaminated objects. The virus is carried in the blood and body fluids, which include feces, saliva, urine, vomit and semen.

The symptoms of Ebola include a fever greater than 101.5, severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and unexplained bleeding or bruising.

Symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 21 days after exposure to Ebola, but the average is eight to 10 days.

If a person is concerned about any of these symptoms, they should contact their primary care physician.

For more, visit shorenewstoday.com.