JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — With a second nurse in Dallas diagnosed with Ebola virus, all eyes are on health care workers.
No one knows the dangers more than nursing students at the University of North Florida.
"With something like this, you want to take that extra precaution," said Karin Pitzel, UNF nursing student.
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Proper gowning and removal are some of the things being taught. Ebola is transmitted through bodily fluids, like blood, feces, saliva, semen, sweat, urine and vomit, meaning any mistake in protocol can be costly.
"We practice it and practice it and practice it. And now that something's actually happening where we require the use for it, it makes it a little more real. It makes it a little more scary," said Tiffany Morris, UNF nursing student.
So far, the Ebola virus has killed more than 4,400 people, mostly in the country of Liberia. Now that Ebola has made its way to the United States, no one can say "it can't happen here,” especially nurses.
Special Section: Ebola threat and response
"The people on the front line are the ones at risk because it's a blood-borne pathogen," said Li Loriz, director of the UNF nursing program.
Until the virus can be contained, the world will have to stay vigilant. Morris said the goal is to think about the reason they got into nursing in the first place.
"I know that coming in that there's opportunities that may arise. There's AIDS, there's a lot of things that you could contract, but you have to put that in the back of your mind and do your job,” Morris said.
In all, there are about 450 students in the nursing program at UNF. Not only do they practice in the lab, but they do clinical work at the hospital to get them ready for the real thing.
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