Suspected Patient Isolated in California Hospital for Ebola Testing

In Sacramento, California, a patient who may have been exposed to the Ebola virus has been put in isolation at a hospital, health group Kaiser Permanente announced Tuesday.

"We are working with the Sacramento County Division of Public Health regarding a patient admitted to the Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center who may have been exposed to the Ebola virus," said Stephen Parodi, an infectious disease specialist.

Ebola Virus Disease | Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever: Cause Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment
Ebola is caused by a virus via direct contact with body fluids or infected blood. Scientists have identified five types of Ebola or Ebola hemorrhagic fever virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be testing blood samples to rule out the presence of the virus, he said.

"To protect our patients, staff and physicians, even though infection with the virus is unconfirmed, we are taking the actions recommended by the CDC as a precaution, just as we do for other patients with a suspected infectious disease," Parodi said.

"This includes isolation of the patient in a specially equipped negative pressure room and the use of personal protective equipment by trained staff, coordinated with infectious disease specialists. This enables the medical center to provide care in a setting that safeguards other patients and medical teams."

Freetown-Paris Flight Affected by Fears and Rumours of Ebola
The Air France flight from Freetown to Paris had it all: Chinese people fleeing Ebola, angry Africans, understaffed flight crew and rumors and fears.

Two US patients infected with the virus, a health care worker and a doctor, returned to the United States from Africa for treatment in late July.

Currently there is no approved antiviral treatment or vaccine, only experimental phase treatments.

�Several Months of Hard Work� Needed to Successfully Combat Ebola Outbreak
The World Health Organization's Assistant Director-General, Dr Keiji Fukuda has warned that there is no quick fix to the recent Ebola outbreak.

The global death toll from Ebola stands at 1,229, with the bulk of cases in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Source-AFP

Ebola Outbreak Has Spread to All Regions in Liberia
Health officials have confirmed that the Ebola outbreak has now spread to every region in Liberia, even as other African countries struggle to contain the spread of the outbreak.