Big Island health care facilities remain on the lookout for Ebola symptoms following the announcement Thursday that state health officials determined a patient in isolation on Oahu was not carrying the deadly virus. In a press conference Thursday morning, Department of Health Director Dr. Linda Rosen explained the patient was isolated out of an abundance of caution. “The hospital acted in the best interests of the community,” she said. “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.” The first reported case of Ebola within the U.S., which was confirmed Tuesday, arrived in the country after a 28-hour trip from West Africa, according to the Associated Press. The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the largest outbreak of the virus in history and has affected multiple countries in the region. The discovery of the disease in the U.S. has put health care facilities on heightened alert, despite the fact the chances of it arriving in Hawaii are very small, said Deputy State Epidemiologist Dr. Melissa Viray. “The risk of an actual case of Ebola is still fairly unlikely,” she said Wednesday. On Thursday, administrators at Hilo Medical Center hosted a meeting to update staff on procedures necessary to diagnose and treat possible Ebola patients. “We are doing best practices and tracking what’s going around,” said Arthur Sampaga, HMC’s emergency management coordinator.
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 20:00:02 +0000