Organizers of the New York City Marathon say the event does not present a greater risk of spreading the Ebola virus.
They say none of the international participants in this year’s race comes from Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone.
Most of the runners favored to win the marathon hail from the East African countries of Kenya and Ethiopia, far from the source of the outbreak.
Organizers say they assumed the city would see an Ebola case by the time of the race and have been working closely with city, state and federal health authorities.
Meanwhile, schools across the city are being urged to prepare in the event of an Ebola case among students or faculty.
The state Department of Health sent a letter to district superintendents across the state, urging an abundance of caution.
It states, “While (New York State Department of Health) does not expect to see an Ebola case in a school, they have asked that the New York State Department of Education take the opportunity to review procedures with school health personnel in the highly unlikely event that they come into contact with a person who might be infected with Ebola while at school.”
The letter describes Ebola symptoms and reminds readers that the virus can only spread via direct contact with the bodily fluids of a sick patient.
The letter comes as a 5-year-old boy from the Bronx who had traveled to Guinea tested negative for the disease.
Bellevue Hospital says the child will remain there for a few more days.
In the meantime, the Manhattan doctor diagnosed with the city’s first case of Ebola is still undergoing treatment at Bellevue.
Dr. Craig Spencer remains in serious but stable condition.
He tested positive for the virus last week after returning from Guinea, where he was treating Ebola patients.
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