A 10-year-old boy was tested for the dreaded Ebola virus, among other illnesses, after coming to Ohio from Liberia.
The tests, which were conducted at the ProMedica Toledo Hospital, were considered to be precautionary. The main reason for conducting the tests was due to the fact that the child came from a part of the world that is considered high at risk from Ebola.
Lucas County Health Department Public Information Officer Shannon Lands reported that the initial test results for the boy have come back negative for the Ebola virus.
According to Lands, preliminary results for the tests such as those conducted are usually considered as a sufficient indicator if a person has contracted the disease or not.
Information from the Lucas County Health Department revealed that the boy was taken to the ProMedica Toledo Hospital on the evening of April 12 due to a fever.
"We do not want to prematurely panic anyone," said David Grossman, the health commissioner of Lucas County during the time of the boy's admission to the hospital and the decision to conduct tests for diseases including Ebola.
While the results of the test were expected by early April 13 at the latest, Grossman already previously stated that the possibility of the boy having the deadly virus is low. However, due to him coming from Liberia, the boy had to undergo the proper evaluation process to officially rule out Ebola as the cause of the boy's fever.
The boy could still undergo a second batch of tests which would be carried out over the next 72 hours. It is up to the physicians in the hospital where the boy is recovering whether the patient will still have to undergo the second batch of tests and when he will have to do so.
Lands said that the Lucas County Health Department is currently cooperating with the Ohio Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the details of the case. Lands also commended the ProMedica Toledo Hospital for its cooperation in following the proper procedures in testing and treating patients for possible infectious diseases.
There have been significant developments in the research for Ebola vaccines to prevent scares such as this one. Two such vaccines being developed have passed a critical test by proving their effectiveness in animal trials using only one dose of the vaccine, and resulting in no reported side effects.
More than 10,000 people have died from the Ebola virus in West Africa within the past year, but the CDC says the epidemic shows signs of waning, with fewer than 30 reported cases of new infections logged the week of April 8.
Photo: CDC Global | Flickr
