WASHINGTON — The District of Columbia Department of Health, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have ruled out Ebola for the patient who was admitted to Howard University Hospital with symptoms this week.
“Ebola has very clear symptoms that inevitably worsen over time, inclusive of fever, bleeding from the eyes and a growing rash that consumes over 75 percent of the human body,” the health department said in a release early Saturday afternoon.
It was less than 24 hours after a patient brought into Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Maryland on Friday was ruled out for Ebola. Both cases had sparked speculation, but health officials say the Maryland case is Malaria and the D.C. patient will be treated for “other illnesses.”
“Based on the clinical presentation of the patient, the medical team was able to rule out Ebola,” said Dr. Joxel Garcia Director DC Department of Health. “The District of Columbia has one of the best disease surveillance and epidemiologist teams in the country, I am confident in our ability keep District residents safe.”
However, “out of an abundance of caution we will continue to work with the Howard University medical team to monitor the patient’s progress,” said Dr. John Davies-Cole, District of Columbia State Epidemiologist.
A Liberian man in Dallas has been diagnosed with Ebola and five members of him family are still being quarantined to see if they begin exhibiting symptoms
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