Patient at Philly Hospital Tested for Ebola
A patient at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania is being monitored for possible Ebola as the Philadelphia hospital takes precautions.
“In an abundance of caution, a patient who met screening criteria for Ebola testing is currently being evaluated at HUP while tests to assess the patient’s condition are completed,” Penn Medicine's chief medical officer Dr. PJ Brennan said.
Citing privacy laws, hospital officials didn’t reveal any details about the patient but did say they don’t believe, at this point, that the patient has potentially-deadly Ebola.
“Preliminary testing indicates that the patient has another condition,” Brennan said.
HUP is taking precautions in any case.
"Clinical teams at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania have received extensive training and conduct ongoing preparations for the possibility of caring for a patient with the Ebola virus since the appearance of the virus in the United States in 2014," Brennan said.
“Proper protocols and precautions will remain in place to ensure the safety of all of our patients and staff."
Ebola is a rare deadly disease that mostly affects primates but can be contracted by humans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its website.
“Ebola virus spreads to people through direct contact with bodily fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), the CDC says. “This can occur when a person touches the infected body fluids (or objects that are contaminated with them), and the virus gets in through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth. The virus can also spread to people through direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected fruit bats or primates. People can get the virus through sexual contact as well.”
Photo Credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
from NBC New York - Top Stories http://bit.ly/2WNMqSO
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