(Newswire.net — October 1, 2014) — The first case of Ebola in United States has been confirmed in Dallas, health officials announced yesterday.
The patient’s name and gender have not been released to the public, due to privacy concerns, but Dr. Thomas Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, had referred to the individual as “he” on numerous occasions.
Emergency vehicle remained in use for two days after the transportThe patient is a traveler who arrived to the United States from Liberia on September 20 and had come into contact with numerous individuals even after developing symptoms.
Dr. Edward Goodman, an epidemiologist at Texas Health Presbyterian, said “We were prepared,” during a news conference yesterday. “We have had a plan in place for some time now in the event of a patient arriving with possible Ebola symptoms. We are well-prepared to deal with this crisis.”
But according to various local reports, the patient first came to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas on Friday, Sept. 26, was treated, given antibiotics and subsequently sent back home.
The patient was then brought back to the hospital after his condition worsened. He was admitted and placed in isolation at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital on Sunday, Sept. 28.
The emergency response crew who transported the individual had also been placed in quarantine. The vehicle used in the transport remained in use for two days after the patient was admitted to the hospital, although the health officials said the vehicle had been decontaminated, as per protocol.
Ebola is a virus with a high fatality rate, affecting multiple organs in the body, and is sometimes accompanied by bleeding.
“It’s a severe disease, which has a high-case fatality rate, even with the best of care, but there are core, tried and true public health interventions that stop it,” Frieden said in an attempt to play down the risk to the public health.
“The bottom line here is that I have no doubt that we will control this importation or this case of Ebola so that it does not spread widely in this country,” he added.
He also said he does not believe anyone on the flight with the diagnosed patient is at risk. As a result, for the time being, air travel will continue as usual at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
Dr. Edward Goodman, epidemiologist at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, told reporters of the patient “I can say he is ill. He is under intensive care.”
Ebola may take up to 21 days to manifest in an infected individual, but there are high hopes for the crew that transported the patient to the hospital as none of them developed any symptoms so far, and the protocols designed to prevent the spread of the disease had been followed during the transport.