BREAKING: North Texas Hospital Evaluating Patient For Potential Ebola Exposure

9/30/2014

A North Texas hospital has a patient in isolation as they evaluate them for potential exposure to the Ebola virus.

Officials with Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas released the following statement Monday night:

“Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas has admitted a patient into strict isolation to be evaluated for potential Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) based on the patient’s symptoms and recent travel history. The hospital is following all Centers for Disease Control and Texas Department of Heath recommendations to ensure the safety of patients, hospital staff, volunteers, physicians and visitors. The CDC anticipates preliminary results tomorrow.”

It is unclear what specific symptoms the patient has or what the patient’s travel history was.

CBS 11 News spoke with Dallas County Health and Human Services Director Zachary Thompson who confirmed the patient had been in an area where the Ebola virus exists. “Looking at the travel history is the first indicator and then the next step is [treatment or non-treatment] once we get lab results,” he said.

Thompson definitely felt that there should be a heightened sense of awareness in North Texas, based on what has happened internationally. “With what we’ve seen in the media and how deadly the Ebola virus is, it is a concern.”

The badge of a Red Cross worker is disinfected after working with an Ebola patient. (credit: Pascal Guyot/AFP/Getty Images)

Thompson stressed that there are certain procedures that will be followed if tests for the ptient come back positive. “We [health professionals] all had been planning to look at what our next steps are if there is a confirmed case. Again, we have to do the public health follow up, to see what contacts… where this individual has gone since they arrived here in Dallas. There are a number of things that have to be looked at.”

As far as possible infection to others here in North Texas Thompson said, “The key point is, if there’s been no transmission, blood, secretion, any type of bodily fluids by the infected person to someone else, then that risk is low to none.”

The Ebola virus has killed more than 3,000 people across West Africa and infected several Americans who have traveled to the region, including Fort Worth Doctor Kent Brantly who contracted the disease while doing missionary work in Liberia.

This is a developing story. CBS 11 News has crews gathering more information and will have more as soon as it is available.

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