14 DAY TRIAL // According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a patient admitted to hospital in Dallas, Texas, late last month is in fact infected with the Ebola virus.
The patient in question, whose identity has not yet been shared with the public, is currently kept in isolation at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas.
It is understood that the person started displaying symptoms consistent with Ebola on September 24. A couple of days later, they sought medical help, and on September 28, they were admitted to hospital.
Information shared with the public says this first Ebola patient in the US contracted the disease while in Liberia, one of the countries affected by the ongoing epidemic in West Africa.
At the time they arrived in the US, on September 20, they were not showing any symptoms. Hence, the patient was not quarantined and was instead given permission to return home to friends and family.
“The ill person did not exhibit symptoms of Ebola during the flights from West Africa,” the CDC explains. “The person reported developing symptoms several days after the return flight,” it adds.
What is being done to keep the virus from spreading?
The CDC says that, although this first case of Ebola in the US is cause for concern, the fact of the matter is that the country is well equipped to deal with this disease.
Thus, the CDC reassures that, as soon as this patient was diagnosed with Ebola, experts got to work keeping the virus from spreading any further.
Thus, a CDC team was sent to Dallas and will help doctors here see this Ebola case through. What's more, efforts are being made to locate the people that this patient came into contact with since returning from West Africa and make sure that they are not infected.
“Ebola can be scary. But there’s all the difference in the world between the U.S. and parts of Africa where Ebola is spreading. The United States has a strong health care system and public health professionals who will make sure this case does not threaten our communities.”
“While it is not impossible that there could be additional cases associated with this patient in the coming weeks, I have no doubt that we will contain this,” CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden explains in a statement
Who needs to worry?
According to the CDC, there is no evidence that the Ebola virus can spread either through the air or through casual contact. Thus, this virus is said to infect people who come into contact with the bodily fluids of a person already suffering with this disease or with contaminated needles and other similar objects.
The incubation period for the Ebola virus ranges from 2 to 21 days. On average, it takes about 8-10 days before a person carrying this virus in their body begins to show symptoms. The CDC stresses that, even if exposed to the virus, people are only contagious once they start developing symptoms.
It is to be expected more information concerning this first Ebola case in the US will soon be shared with the general public, so keep an eye on this page for updates.