Ebola is a familiar health term to students and known throughout the world.
Students on campus are not immune to Ebola and a campus protocol is in place to assist students, who become ill, and the surrounding community of San Jose City College.
“Ebola is a disease caused by the Ebola virus, and there is an outbreak in the countries of Mali, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone,” said Toni Moos, medical director of the health clinic at San Jose City College. If students become ill on campus, the campus police should be notified immediately at SJCC (408) 288-3735. Campus police will then contact the San Jose Police Department and Fire Department who handle these types of emergencies.
“Students who become ill on campus should not be moved and they should be in a safe environment by keeping the area clear from crowds, so emergency personnel can assist quickly,” Moos said.
“Students who have had contact with anyone of the epidemic areas or just returned from any of these countries and develop a fever should not return to campus,” Moos said. “Student shall immediately contact the Center for Disease Control or the Santa Clara Public Health Department.”
Moos also said, “Students shall remain quarantined in their home until they have been cleared by one of the two agencies before returning to campus.”
Ebola can only be spread by direct contact with body fluids of a person who is sick with symptoms of the disease, according to the Santa Clara Public Health Department. Direct contact means that body fluid of an Ebola patient touches eyes, nose, mouth or broken skin. Ebola does not spread through the air.
According to the Santa Clara Public Health Department, there are currently no Ebola reported cases in Santa Clara County.
Moos said, “The key for anyone to prevent illness is hand washing.”
For more information about Ebola, check out the following websites:
Center for Disease Control: www.cdc.gov/ebola
Santa Clara Public Health Department: www.sccphd.org
California Department of Public Health: www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/cder/Pages/Ebola.aspx