A patient in a Dallas hospital has been confirmed to have the Ebola virus, according to WFAA News 8 report:
That person has been held in “strict isolation” as he or she was evaluated for possible exposure to the deadly Ebola virus.
This is the first case of Ebola confirmed in the United States.
In a statement issued Tuesday night, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas said the patient was admitted based on symptoms and “recent travel history.”
The hospital, located at Greenville Avenue and Walnut Hill Lane in northeast Dallas, said it’s complying with all recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and the Texas Department of Health to ensure the safety of other patients and medical staff.
Zachary Thompson, the director of the Dallas County Health & Human Services, says the Center for Disease Control is mobilizing as if the patient tested positive for the virus.However, he said Dallas County is ready if the patient’s results come back positive.
“This is not Africa,” Thompson said. “We have a great infrastructure to deal with an outbreak.”
The World Health Organization says it has confirmed more than 3,000 Ebola-related deaths in West Africa during the current outbreak, which has spread to five countries: Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
There have been no Ebola cases reported outside that region, although some patients have been transferred to other countries for treatment. Fort Worth physician Dr. Kent Brantly, who became infected while working in Liberia, recovered after being moved to a hospital in Atlanta.
Earlier this month, President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. would offer military and medical help to combat the disease in West Africa which has now reached epidemic proportions.
Several U.S. hospitals have previously raised alerts in connection with patients who presented Ebola-like symptoms, but all those cases tested negative for the virus.
Watch a report from CNBC in the video below:
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