- Jun 10, 2013
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Dallas patient has tested positive for Ebola, the first case ever diagnosed in the United States.
A statement sent out Monday night by the hospital says it's based on the person's symptoms and recent travel history. The hospital has not said if the patient is a man or a woman.
Officials with the Texas Dept. of State Health Services said the patient traveled to West Africa and developed symptoms after their return to Texas, but it is unknown which country they were in.
A press conference with details about the diagnosis is planned for Tuesday afternoon at 4:30 p.m and will be streamed live online and shown on air.
A CDC team is already on its way to Dallas to meet with health officials and coordinate a response.
Both the hospital and health officials say strict federal isolation and testing guidelines are being followed and the risk of an outbreak in Dallas is low.
"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.
The World Health Organization says the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed more than 3,000 people.
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.
The CDC has said that 12 other people in the U.S. have been tested for Ebola since July 27. Those tests came back negative.
A statement sent out Monday night by the hospital says it's based on the person's symptoms and recent travel history. The hospital has not said if the patient is a man or a woman.
Officials with the Texas Dept. of State Health Services said the patient traveled to West Africa and developed symptoms after their return to Texas, but it is unknown which country they were in.
A press conference with details about the diagnosis is planned for Tuesday afternoon at 4:30 p.m and will be streamed live online and shown on air.
A CDC team is already on its way to Dallas to meet with health officials and coordinate a response.
Both the hospital and health officials say strict federal isolation and testing guidelines are being followed and the risk of an outbreak in Dallas is low.
"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.
The World Health Organization says the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed more than 3,000 people.
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.
The CDC has said that 12 other people in the U.S. have been tested for Ebola since July 27. Those tests came back negative.
