Officials In Ohio Quick To Quell Fears Of Ebola Spread After Air-Traveler Contracts Virus

TOLEDO (WWJ) - Officials in Ohio are taking steps to prevent any spread of Ebola after word that a nurse who has contracted the Ebola virus traveled to Akron through Cleveland just last weekend.

Amber Vinson arrived at Cleveland Hopkins Airport on a Wednesday and left via Frontier Airlines Monday night. She fell ill the following morning.

Now officials in the city of Toledo and surrounding metro areas are working to reassure residents they're ready to handle what comes ... after the word that a Dallas nurse has tested positive for Ebola..

Airport Director Ricky Smith spoke with WWJ's Sandra McNeill about the precautions the airport has taken.

"Frontier Airlines aircraft has been decontaminated twice at a remote location on the airport. That plane has since been put back into service, the CDC and Frontier Airline seem to be comfortable that the aircraft is safe," Smith said.

He noted that the airport closed and cleaned the concourse where the nurse was:

"The areas we would focus on would be the device that takes the passenger from the terminal building onto the aircraft and we would look at any restrooms," said Smith. "Those would be the key facilities we would focus on."

"Ms. Vinson was asymptomatic, meaning, she was not contagious, at least that's what is reported by the CDC, and so any travel through the airport facility, at this point, we have no reason to believe that those facilities were contaminated or infectious," he said.

Still, everyone who was on the plane with Vinson is being contacted.

Lucas County Health Department Director Dr. David Grossman says there is no need to panic, even for those who may have taken a flight with Vinson.

"The first victim here who died - did fly over here," said Grossman. "Obviously, he was incubating the disease but didn't get sick until many days later, not weeks but days, there's been no sequela on that airplane, so I'm sure he sneezed or walked around the airplane but he wasn't actively spreading it."

He says the county will be vigilant in monitoring anyone who may have come into contact with the disease ... as well as their pets.

Vinson also spent time with three family members who work at Kent State.