Hawaii Hospital Testing Patient For Ebola
A patient in Honolulu, Hawaii was placed in an isolation unit on Wednesday after health officials say they were showing signs of an Ebola infection.
The patient was placed in the isolation unit at the Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu as of Thursday morning. Officials were conducting a series of tests to determine the patient's sickness, and an Ebola test may take longer for results, as it has to be sent to the mainland U.S. for confirmation.
"We have not definitively said, we don't know why this person is ill," Dr. Melissa Viray of the Department of Health in Hawaii said in a statement to reporters. "But because we have concerns regarding Ebola as a possibility, even as a distant one, [the hospital] is taking all the precautions necessary to keep people safe."
The Queen's Medical Center also released a statement saying that it is closely monitoring the patient due to the heightened awareness of Ebola in the U.S. at this time.
"Queen's wants to underscore that at this time, the patient's history and clinical presentations do not appear to be consistent with Ebola and the patient may be diagnosed with a number of conditions other than Ebola. However, due to the heightened scope of awareness of Ebola, Queen's is taking extra precautionary measures to ensure the safety of patients, physicians, hospital staff, volunteers and visitors. This includes placing the patient in isolation."
"Queen's is working closely with the Hawaii State Department of Health to help ensure we care for the patient and protect our community in line with the guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control," the statement added.
Earlier this week, a patient in Dallas, Texas was diagnosed with Ebola, the first case of the deadly virus in the United States. The patient, who had recently returned from Liberia, was put into a strict isolation unit.
