Arizona Patient Tests Negative for Ebola - East Idaho News

Arizona Patient Tests Negative for Ebola

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Thinkstock 112814 Hospital?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1417221427732VILevi/iStock/Thinkstock(PHOENIX) — Tests have come back negative for Ebola for the Arizona patient who had recently returned from Sierra Leone, county officials said Friday.

The patient had been taken from a Maricopa County residence on Friday after making a 911 call for gastrointestinal issues. The decision was made to transport the individual for testing for possible Ebola, in part due to his having recently returned from an Ebola-affected nation.

On Friday, the Maricopa County Public Health Department said that tests had been returned and were negative for Ebola. “With this alternate diagnosis, it makes all of us feel much better that we have another clinical reason as to what made this person ill,” Dr. Robert Fromm, chief medical officer for the Maricopa Integrated Health System said.

The patient will be monitored for 21 days out of an abundance of caution.

Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, medical director for disease control for MCPH called the experience “a good exercise for all of our partners and we are thrilled to hear…that the patient has an alternate diagnosis.” She added that it was important to note that “because this patient was not symptomatic in flight, there is no risk to anyone who flew with this patient nor did he expose anyone in Maricopa County.”





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