Kent State University has informed its university community that the second healthcare worker diagnosed with Ebola, a nurse who helped care for Thomas Eric Duncan, is related to three Kent State employees. The patient was not showing any symptoms of the disease when she traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, on Friday, Oct. 10, and returned to Dallas, Texas, on Monday, Oct. 13. In Dallas, the patient detected a low-grade fever on Tuesday, Oct. 14, and entered a Dallas hospital for isolation and treatment. The patient was tested for Ebola, and results on Wednesday, Oct. 15, confirmed the diagnosis.

“It’s important to note that the patient was not on the Kent State campus,” said Kent State President Beverly Warren. “She stayed with her family at their home in Summit County and did not step foot on our campus. We want to assure our university community that we are taking this information seriously, taking steps to communicate what we know.”

“We’re coordinating with local public health authorities to ensure all precautions are taken,” said Dr. Angela DeJulius, director of University Health Services at Kent State. “Under the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, patients infected with the Ebola virus are not considered contagious until they show symptoms, such as fever, muscle aches and headaches.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we’re asking the patient’s family members to remain off campus for the next 21 days and self-monitor per CDC protocol,” DeJulius continued.

The patient is a graduate of Kent State, receiving degrees in 2006 and 2008.

For more information about Ebola, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov.

Beginning Oct. 16, any questions about health-related issues should be directed to the Summit County Public Health Call Center at 330-926-3939.

For more information about Kent State, visit www.kent.edu.

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Media Contacts:

Members of the media are encouraged to visit the Kent State website at www.kent.edu and follow @ksunews on Twitter for the latest updates.

**NOTE: There will be a press conference today (Oct. 15) at 4 p.m. in the Schwartz Center on the university's Kent Campus.**