Dallas hospital diagnoses first patient with Ebola

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Tuesday the first case of Ebola in a critically ill patient diagnosed in a U.S. hospital.
The patient — who has been isolated since his symptoms were recognized — is an unnamed man in intensive care at Texas Health Presbyterian hospital in Dallas.
Hospital workers noted his case because of his symptoms and recent travel history. It is not known whether he has infected others, although CDC officials are tracing his contacts.Another pic after cut



The man left Liberia Sept. 19 and arrived in the USA the next day but had no symptoms when leaving Africa or arriving here, said Thomas Frieden, the CDC director. The patient became sick Sept. 24, and he sought care two days later. He was sent home but returned to a hospital and was admitted Sept. 28. Frieden did not reveal the man's nationality but said he came to the USA to visit relatives.

Frieden said there is no danger of the sort of widespread outbreak seen in West Africa.
"This is the first case of Ebola diagnosed in the U.S. and the first strain of this Ebola diagnosed outside of Africa," Frieden said. "I have no doubt that we will control this case of Ebola so that it does not spread widely in this country. It is certainly possible that someone who has had contact with this patient could develop Ebola, but there is no doubt in my mind that we will stop it here."

The CDC has confirmed the first diagnosed case of Ebola in the United States. The patient is being treated at a Dallas hospital after traveling earlier this month from Liberia. (Sept. 30) 

Ebola patients are contagious once they begin showing symptoms, such as fever, diarrhea and vomiting, Frieden said.
Someone with these symptoms could infect health care workers, such as people working in an emergency room. The virus is spread only through contact with bodily fluids, such as blood or vomit, says Brett Giroir, CEO at Texas A&M Health Science Center, an intensive care specialist.

Ebola does not spread through the air, like measles or the flu, said David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Because the man was not sick on the plane or in the airport, Frieden said he's not worried that others on his flight will become sick. Health officials are not contacting fellow passengers. "There is zero risk of transmission on the flight," Frieden said. "He was checked for fever before getting on the flight."

He said health officials are following a "handful" of contacts, including a few family members and friends. The man stayed with family, not at a hotel.
The Dallas Fire-Rescue crew that transported the Ebola patient on Sunday is now under quarantine. The city has activated its Emergency Operations Center on "Level 2: High Readiness" in response to Tuesday's developments, WFAA-TV reported.

"I have no doubt that we will stop this in its tracks," Frieden said, but as long as the epidemic is spreading out of control in West Africa, "we have to be on our guard."
Infectious disease experts agreed with Frieden that Ebola is unlikely to spread very far in the USA because of stringent infection control measures in place at American hospitals. There are no plans to transfer the patient to a specialized hospital with a biocontainment unit, Frieden said, noting that any hospital that has the ability to isolate a patient can treat someone with Ebola.

Source- USA TODAY