A patient in Honolulu, Hawaii, has been placed in isolation with suspected Ebola, the Department of Health confirmed on Wednesday.
Even though the disease is a possibility, the patient has not yet been specifically tested for it, but is displaying some symptoms.
The Hawaii Nurses Association said the person is being treated at The Queen’s Medical Center.
Officials have not revealed the patient’s gender or travel history, reported KHON.
‘We are early in the investigation of a patient — very, very, early, who we’re investigating that might have Ebola,’ said Dr. Melissa Viray, deputy state epidemiologist.
Two suspicious factors would be if the patient had a fever and if he traveled to West Africa in the last 21 days.
The Department of Health is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on this particular case to ensure that is it being handled with the utmost caution and care.
‘We’ve asked the hospitals to tell us about is anyone with a travel history and anyone with a fever, and when those things come together, we’ve asked them to be very careful and in an abundance of caution while you’re working, for whatever else might be going on, also make sure you isolate against Ebola, just in case,’ said Dr. Melissa Viray, deputy state epidemiologist.
The patient is currently being kept in a regular room but anyone who goes in must wear protective gear.
‘They’re monitoring who goes in and out of that room and making sure that everybody as safe as possible, while the patient is being evaluated for Ebola and what other conditions that patient might have,’ Dr. Viray told KHON.
The patient has symptoms that could be associated with Ebola.
‘If someone showed up in the ER with suspected Ebola symptoms, they would immediately be placed in an isolation room,’ Erlaine Bello, Queen’s Medical Center infectious disease specialist, previously told KHON2.
Hospitals are being especially vigilant after patient Thomas Eric Duncan who is being treated for Ebola in Dallas, Texas, was sent home from the hospital despite displaying symptoms and having traveled to Africa.
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