EBOLA ALERT: U.S. Patient Zero Suspected In Dallas: Travel History and Symptoms Suggest Infection
Mac Slavo
September 29th, 2014
SHTFplan.com
he virus that has infected nearly 10,000 people in West Africa and killed over 3,000 so far this year may now be in America.
Multiple news sources are reporting that an individual showing symptoms of the Ebola virus has been admitted to a hospital in Dallas, Texas. The patient, whose travel history suggests he or she may have been exposed to the virus, has been isolated and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas says it is following testing and quarantine procedures outlined by the Centers for Disease Control.
Test samples have been sent to the CDC and preliminary test results are expected Tuesday morning.
In a statement released Monday evening, a spokesperson for Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas said the patient is undergoing evaluation for Ebola based on the patient’s symptoms and recent travel history.
Further details on the patient were not released due to medical confidentiality and personal privacy reasons.
“The hospital is following all Centers for Disease Control and Texas Department of Heath recommendations to ensure the safety of patients, hospital staff, volunteers, physicians and visitors,” according to the hospital’s statement. (Source: NBC DFW & MyFox)
Over the past month several patients have been admitted to U.S. hospitals in California, New York, and Georgia reporting symptoms similar to Ebola but test results in all cases have thus far shown negative for the virus.
But that hasn’t stopped the CDC from preparing guidelines for hospitals around the country with instructions on how to identify suspected cases, testing recommendations, and quarantine procedures. Earlier this year, in anticipation of a potential pandemic, the U.S. government distributed Ebola Bio Detection kits to National Guard units in all 50 states. In September the State Department ordered 160,000 protective HAZMAT suits for aid workers in Africa and other regions that may eventually see infections.
Independent research models have suggested the possibility that up to 100,000 people may be infected with the virus by the end of this year. The World Health Organization has warned that up to one million people in Africa could be infected with the virus by early next year if it continues spreading at its current pace. And most terrifying is a contagion model developed by researchers at MIT and the New England Complex Systems Institute which suggests that even a single infected individual travelling through a major airport hub has the potential to start the virus on a doomsday course that would eventually touch all corners of the globe:
The Rest…HERE
