A message from the Manhattan Catholic School Regional Office
Dear Families,
Now that there is the first confirmed case of an adult with Ebola in NYC, I want to review the guidelines provided by the NYC DOH regarding the transmission of ebola. Our school receives constant health alerts from NYS & NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Archdiocese of New York. Schools in the Archdiocese follow all advisory and directive instructions from these organizations.
I thought it would be helpful to share some information that I have received this week from the NYC Department of Health and the NYC Department of Education regarding the growing concern over Ebola:
The NYCDOE and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene are working together to ensure that you have the most up-to-date guidance. The facts below are important to help parents and staff understand how low the risk of Ebola exposure is:
• Ebola is spread by direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. You cannot be infected simply by being near someone who has Ebola.
• The Ebola outbreak is concentrated in only three countries – Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.
• If someone has traveled to Liberia, Guinea, or Sierra Leone in the past 21 days but does not have any symptoms, they cannot infect anyone else with Ebola. New York City is collaborating closely with its state and federal partners to protect New Yorkers.
The Department of Health, and I, want to reassure you that school officials and all medical care providers in NYC have been prepared by the Health Department to look for signs of Ebola and take immediate steps to respond and isolate people who may be infected. You can acquire accurate information about Ebola from the Department of Health's site nyc.gov/ebola.
I will provide any further information as necessary. As always, please feel free to contact me by email or phone with your concerns or questions. Please keep those affected by Ebola, directly and indirectly, in our thoughts and prayers.
Andrew G. Woods, principal
