Authorities said that several people in North Carolina, who recently traveled to some of the African nations hardest hit by the Ebola outbreak, are being monitored for symptoms.
WRAL reported that Health Director Stacie Saunders said that the seven individuals being monitored so far are not exhibiting any symptoms associated with the often-fatal virus. She also added that they did not come in any contact with Ebola patients while abroad.
"These travelers have no symptoms, have not had contact with an Ebola patient, and are not healthcare workers," said Saunders. "We are monitoring them because of their recent travel from West Africa. In the event that one of these individuals develops symptoms, the Health Department and our community partners will ensure that they are taken quickly and safely to an isolation unit in a predetermined healthcare facility. Our community has been preparing diligently and we continue to do so."
The Ebola virus has killed thousands in the West African countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone over the past several months and put areas around the globe on high alert.
This is not North Carolina’s first brush with the disease. ABC 11 noted that health officials in Person County were awaiting results Wednesday to see if a man who tested negative once for Ebola, is in fact free of the virus.
The individuals currently being monitored are in Alamance and Guilford counties.