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The first North American case of Ebola has been confirmed in the United States as a patient in Texas has been hospitalized after recently returning from West Africa.
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) says the patient has tested positive and the test was done at the state public health lab in Austin. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also confirmed the positive result. Little information about the patient is being released only that it is an adult who developed symptoms days after returning to Texas from West Africa and was admitted into isolation on Sunday in Dallas.
“The Texas Department of State Health Services is working with the CDC, the local health department and the hospital to investigate the case and work to prevent transmission of the disease,” DSHS said in press release. “The hospital has implemented infection control measures to help ensure the safety of patients and staff.”
Early symptoms of Ebola include sudden fever, fatigue and headache. Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure. The virus is spread through direct contact with blood, secretions or other bodily fluids or exposure to contaminated object such as needles.
Of the 6,574 cases reported around the world the World Health Organization (WHO) says 3,091 people have died from Ebola. It has been six weeks since the first outbreak of the virus was reported to WHO.
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