KRQE 13 NewsSANTA FE (KRQE) – UNM Hospital has put a patient in isolation and the New Mexico Department of Health is calling in the Centers of Disease Control to conduct tests on that patient to make sure she does not have the Ebola virus.
Health officials are not saying the woman has Ebola, but they haven’t ruled it out yet.
Officials say the 30-year-old woman is a patient at UNM Hospital and developed a sore throat, headache, muscle aches and fever, all of which are symptoms of Ebola.
The woman recently left the country Sierra Leone in West Africa which has known cases of Ebola, and that’s what sparked concern with her symptoms, which are common cold and flu-like symptoms as well.
Officials say the was a teacher in Sierra Leone, and before she left earlier this month, she had no known exposures to Ebola.
State officials say at this time the patient is not a probable case, but out of caution they are working with the CDC to perform tests on her to rule out Ebola. State health officials are also working closely with UNM Hospital officials on the case.
According to the CDC, Ebola “poses no substantial risk to the U.S. general population.”
They also say a person infected with Ebola virus is not contagious until symptoms appear.
The Ebola virus is spread through direct contact with body fluids including blood, urine, feces, and saliva. Ebola is not spread through the air or by food or water.
As of Aug. 13, no confirmed Ebola cases have been reported in the U.S., other than the two U.S. health workers evacuated from Liberia.
The American doctor receiving experimental treatment at an Atlanta hospital for Ebola is recovering now. On Friday, Dr. Kent Brantly released a statement saying there are still a “few hurdles to clear” before he can be discharged and reunited with his family.
Brantly and an American missionary, Nancy Writebol, were transferred earlier this month to an isolation unit after contracting Ebola while helping patients in Liberia.
The World Health Organization says at least 2,100 people have been infected in West Africa and more than half have died.
KRQE News 13 is continuing to find out more information on this developing story. We will have more in our 5:30 p.m. newscast.
http://krqe.com/2014/08/17/unm-patient-being-tested-for-ebola-like-symptoms/