Updated: 5:30 p.m. Oct. 16, 2014.
A student who reported that her sister became sick after a trip to the Midwest, setting off fears of possible Ebola exposure and causing a section of Southwestern College in Chula Vista to be cordoned off Thursday “in an abundance of caution,” has recanted her story.
The student’s claim initially led to fears of potential Ebola exposure on campus, but school officials said a nurse examined her and didn’t find any symptoms of the deadly virus.
The 470 building on campus was closed, but the rest of the campus remained open.
Some broadcast reports had suggested that the student’s story had included her and her sister being on the same airplane as a nurse who contracted the Ebola virus.
The student claimed her sister had been hospitalized, Southwestern College spokeswoman Lillian Leopold said. She said the building was shut down after the student told her instructor why she had missed class.
“In an abundance of caution by some staff members, the 470 building was cordoned off,” Leopold said. “Our campus nurse has thoroughly examined the student and there is no expectation of Ebola.”
Amber Vinson, a nurse who helped treat Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan at a hospital in Dallas, flew from Cleveland back to Texas earlier this week despite having a temperature of 99.5 degrees. She called the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before she boarded her flight.
The agency, which contended a temperature at 100.4 degrees or above is a sign of Ebola, is being criticized for allowing her to take to the skies with other passengers.
— City News Service contributed to this story
