IMPORTANT UPDATE: Patient isolated in Honolulu hospital as officials say Ebola case possible

[DonViejo]

Last edited Thu Oct 2, 2014, 06:00 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: Hawaii News Now

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Hawaii Department of Health says a patient at a local hospital in Honolulu was placed into isolation on Wednesday, and officials have not ruled out the possibility that the individual may have contracted the Ebola virus.

A patient who checked into the hospital on Wednesday morning is currently undergoing testing for several conditions, Health Department officials said. The patient had not yet been tested for the Ebola virus late Wednesday afternoon, and any tests for the virus would need to be sent to the U.S. mainland for analysis before any confirmation could be made, according to the Department of Health.
"We have not definitively said, we don't know why this person is ill," said Dr. Melissa Viray of the Department of Health in Hawaii. "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."

Hospitals across the state have been briefed by the Department of Health about standing operating procedure from the Centers for Disease Control in the event of a possible Ebola case, Dr. Viray says.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/26683295/patient-isolated-in-honolulu-hospital-as-officials-say-ebola-case-possible

---

UPDATE:

-snip-

...the Hawaii state Department of Health said Thursday that it has ruled out the possibility that a patient isolated at a Honolulu hospital has the Ebola virus, CBS affiliate KGMB reports.

The patient, an unidentified man, was admitted to Queen's Medical Center Wednesday after experiencing what hospital officials called "possible symptoms that may be consistent with Ebola."

"The hospital acted in the best interests of the community, with an abundance of caution," said Hawaii Department of Health Director Dr. Linda Rosen. "We commend the facility for being prepared and remaining vigilant regarding the risk of Ebola. After investigation by the health department, it was determined that the individual did not meet the clinical or travel exposure criteria for an Ebola infection."

-snip-

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ebola-virus-investigation-finds-hawaii-patient-doesnt-meet-criteria/

Thank you DU'er pnwmom for providing us with this important update! Much appreciated!

[AllyCat]

1. We are truly screwed. I hope this is not true.

But it really does seem to be only a matter of time before it goes to the whole world.

[heaven05]

2. possible? I hope thats all it is

otherwise I think big do do is about to hit the collective rotating oscillator......I hope that's not in the cards....but......closer and closer....hell there is a definite case in Texas also.

[Kablooie]

3. If he came from Africa this report is justified.

otherwise it's just the media inflaming paranoia.

[B2G]

4. He hasn't been tested for ebola?

That's the FIRST bloody thing they should test for. Rule that out FIRST.

Unreal.

[rocktivity]

5. Hopefully it's because the patient HASN'T come from

a country with ebola.

I knew they'd blame Obama for this somehow.


rocktivity

[B2G]

6. I'm pretty sure they have

Dr. Viray wouldn’t confirm any details about the patient, symptoms, or if the person had recently traveled to West Africa. But she did say red flags for Ebola include fever and recent travel to that area.

“Why is this person being isolated?” KHON2 asked.

“What 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,” she said.

“So it sounds like this person does have a fever and recently traveled to West Africa,” KHON2 asked.

“Again, I can’t be the one to confirm that,” Dr. Viray said.

http://khon2.com/2014/10/01/patient-in-isolation-in-honolulu-hospital-officials-say-ebola-a-possibility/

[rocktivity]

7. Or the patient could have been IN CONTACT with someone

who traveled to Hawaii from there -- and not know it.

The last thing we need is a mutating "home grown" strain...


rocktivity

[uppityperson]

8. That is good, sounds like they are reacting as they should. Isolate, test, until definitive diagnose

[B2G]

9. Let's hope they've also gotten a jump start

on contact tracing...just in case.

[calimary]

10. Ohhhhhhhh fuuuuuuuuuck...

I've got just one thing to say:

THIS, TOO, IS NATIONAL SECURITY.

Frankly, I think we may need to say screw ISIS, screw Israel (sorry, but THIS is a bigger priority - and it's GLOBAL, so this would - no, WILL ultimately affect Israel too), screw economic stimulus, screw EVERYTHING that IS NOT directly involved in the health sector. We need to throw EVERY DOLLAR WE CAN FIND into America's health care infrastructure. RE-INFUSE the N.I.H. and C.D.C with boatloads of bucks for research AND staffing, go hard and go heavy. PRIORITY ONE. Put us on a national "war footing" on THIS specific issue. Defy the fucking sequester rules and UN-cut the N.I.H. and C.D.C., raise taxes across the board and funnel all that money into research so that we develop vaccines and ENOUGH OF THEM so that public health is secure.

If we don't go global-thermo-nuclear on this NOW, it will spread faster and farther than our ability to contain it.

[pnwmom]

11. Better safe than sorry. n/t

[uppityperson]

12. Glad it was ruled out and glad they are taking it seriously