In the latest Ebola scare, a Sacramento patient tested negative for the Ebola virus after initially fearing he contracted the disease on a trip to West Africa.
The patient walked into Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center saying that he or she was showing symptoms of Ebola -- fever, headach, diarrhea and vomiting.
The patient's name and gender have not been released.
Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the California Department of Public Health, said the sample came back negative for the deadly virus.
The outbreak in West Africa already has a death toll of more than 1,100 people, making it the largest Ebola outbreak every recorded.
"We are pleased with the negative outcome of the Ebola test," Chapman said. "This case in Sacramento County demonstrates that the system is working. This patient was quickly identified, appropriate infection control procedures were implemented, and public health authorities were notified."
This shows that the U.S. is equipped to handle possible Ebola cases. This isn't the first negative case of Ebola in the United States. A patient walked into a New York hospital claiming he was showing symptoms.
Dr. Gil Chavez, deputy director of the Center for Infectious Diseases, said in a telephone news conference that it is important to know the symptoms for Ebola in case the disease does occur in the United States.
"It is unlikely Ebola poses a significant public health threat at this time," Chavez said.
The patient was rushed into a specially equipped negative pressure room while the blood sample was sent to the Centers for Disease Control for testing.
Dr. Tomas Aragon, San Franscisco's public health officer, said those giving care to possibly infected patients, doctors and nurses, would be adequately protected from the Ebola virus through the use of impermeable gowns, goggles and face shields. The negative pressure room is just an extra precaution.
But Argon said extra precautions were necessary, and testing anyone who possibly has the disease and getting a negative result is better than missing someone.
"We know there will be a lot of people we rule out, but we'd rather cast a wider net than risk somebody being missed," he said.
Two patients flown back to the U.S. for treatment after they were infected while working in West Africa were released this week from Emory University hospital after being treated for Ebola with a new drug, ZMapp. Previously, there was no treatment other than rest, rehydration and following quarantine procedures to protect medical staff treating infected patients. The Ebola virus, which up until now has not had an effective treatment, carries a fatality rate of between 60 percent to 90 percent of those infected. Its incubation period can run up to three weeks and its initial symptoms are similar to other diseases, including fever, headache, diarrhea and vomiting. It spreads through contact with bodily fluids, not through the air.
