ReadyRowan

Residents in North Carolina with questions or concerns about the Ebola virus are directed to call a new number: 1-844-836-8714. The North Carolina Ebola Public Information Line will continue to be staffed by the Carolinas Poison Center 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Nurses, pharmacists and other medical professionals handle the calls.

As of early November, the Carolinas Poison Center has fielded 279 calls about Ebola. Calls range from questions about how Ebola is acquired and spread to questions about symptoms that accompany the virus. The poison center is partnering with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to provide this service to the public.

Ebola is transmitted through the blood and bodily fluids of an infected person. It is not transmitted through air, water or food. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) notes that the following symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to Ebola, but the average is 8 to 10 days: fever that is greater than 38°C or 100.4°F, severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding or bruising. A person infected with the Ebola virus is not contagious until symptoms appear.

The Carolinas Poison Center, operated by Carolinas HealthCare System, offers residents in all 100 counties of North Carolina free and confidential phone assistance with poisoning emergencies and questions about poisons. Nurses, pharmacists and doctors who are experts in poisonings handle the calls. Carolinas Poison Center is one of 55 poison centers serving the U.S. and is certified by the American Association of Poison Control Centers.