A Dallas hospital patient has tested positive for Ebola, the first case ever diagnosed in the United States.
A statement sent out Monday night by Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital said that the patient was being isolated based on his or her symptoms and recent travel history.
Officials with the Texas Dept. of State Health Services said the patient traveled to West Africa and developed symptoms after their return to Texas.
A press conference with details about the diagnosis was held in Dallas Tuesday afternoon.
There, Tom Frieden, M.D., Director of the Center for Disease Control, said that the patient did not show any symptoms when leaving from Liberia on Sept. 19 or entering the U.S. Sept. 20.
The patient, who was visiting family in the U.S. and does not appear to be an American citizen, sought treatment Sept. 26 and was admitted to a hospital Sept. 28.
Specimens from the patient were tested by a state lab and confirmed by a separate test by the Centers for Disease Control, said Carrie Williams, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Frieden said the next step will be identifying anyone who may have come into contact with the patient while they were infectious, isolating them and waiting to see if they exhibit any Ebola symptoms.
The CDC wouldn’t confirm if the patient is a male or femaile.
CDC officials and doctors at the press conference emphasized that they believe the patient’s diagnosis will be controlled, and that the risk for an outbreak in Dallas is low.
“There is no doubt in my mind that we will stop it here,” said Frieden.
Both the hospital and health officials said strict federal isolation and testing guidelines are being followed.
“Unless you have exchanged bodily fluids with this individual this is a low risk for people in Dallas County. So we want to ease the fear. We’re talking about bodily fluids transmission, not just sitting right here together that being an issue,” said Dallas County Health Director Zach Thompson.
Thompson also said unlike Africa, Dallas County has the infrastructure needed to deal with Ebola.
Since the summer months, U.S. health officials have been preparing for the possibility that an individual traveler could unknowingly arrive with the infection. Health authorities have advised hospitals on how to prevent the virus from spreading within their facilities.
Officials at the press conference also said that they are not concerned that passengers who were on the same flight as the patient were exposed to Ebola, as the virus is only spread through direct contact.
According to the CDC, Ebola symptoms can include fever, muscle pain, vomiting and bleeding, and can appear as long as 21 days after exposure to the virus.
Wow total whitewash. They make it sound like you have to have sex with him. I can guarantee you that all those people in Africa aren't getting ebola because of sex.
They are trying to down play this. One the next wave hits, it will be hard to stop