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The Ebola virus has been confirmed in three different people in Dallas as of Oct. 16. There are currently no cases in Austin.

UPDATE

(12:30 p.m.Oct. 17)

A student from The University of Texas is currently being monitored for Ebola symptoms after taking the same flight as an infected person.

The student, whose name has not been released, was on Flight 1143 from Cleveland to Dallas on Monday night. A health care worker who was later confirmed to have Ebola was on that same flight. The two were not seated in close proximity to each other, according to a news release.

"All passengers on Flight 1143 have been evaluated for exposure and risk, and this individual was determined to be of lower risk than others who were in closer proximity to the carrier of the virus. While the individual has presented no symptoms and poses no immediate risk to others, they have agreed to follow our recommendations and cooperate with our office to monitor their condition," said Dr. Phil Huang, medical director for Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services, in a news release.

The student is checking in with health care professionals daily to report any symptoms and is having his or her body temperature monitored, according to a news release.

UT President BIll Powers said the student is being compliant with directions from the Center for Disease Control, and the safety of other students on campus is of utmost importance.

"Health officials do not believe there is any health risk to campus at this time. However, in an abundance of caution, the student, who lives in a private residence, is staying home from class and away from campus activities. The university supports this decision and is providing academic and other resources that the student needs," Powers said in a news release.

Posted Oct. 16 11:26 a.m.

Austin is at a low risk of its residents becoming infected with Ebola, Mayor Lee Leffingwell said Oct. 16 at a news conference.

Health care professionals joined Leffingwell to assure Austinites that the presence of Ebola in Dallas does not mean Austin is in danger.

"Austin is well-prepared to handle any threat," Leffingwell said.

There are currently no cases of Ebola in Austin, but three people from Dallas have been diagnosed with the infectious disease.

Paul Hinchey, medical director with Austin and Travis County EMS, said first responders are repeatedly prepped to deal with these types of diseases and how to prevent contracting the disease when interacting with possibly infected persons.

Additional questions have also been added to initial 911 call screenings to possibly indicate if a caller is infected and to prepare first responders in case of interactions with a potentially infected person, Hinchey said.

Such changes include asking if a person has recently been to West Africa or in contact in the past three weeks with a person who has visited West Africa. Previously screeners only asked about a two-week timeline.