Updated, Sept. 30, 4:29 p.m.:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that a patient in a Dallas hospital has the Ebola virus — the first case reported in the nation.
There's a CDC press conference scheduled for 4:30 p.m., during which the CDC is expected to provide additional details on the case.
The Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed that the patient was admitted into isolation Sunday at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. He was admitted after developing symptoms days after returning from a trip to West Africa.
The test for the disease was conducted at the state public health laboratory in Austin. The CDC then confirmed the positive result.
"The Texas Department of State Health Services is working with the CDC, the local health department and the hospital to investigate the case and help prevent transmission of the disease," the health services department said in a news release. "The hospital has implemented infection control measures to help ensure the safety of patients and staff."
Original story:
A Dallas hospital has isolated a patient to be tested for the deadly Ebola virus, hospital officials confirmed Monday.
In a statement, representatives for the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital said that the patient's symptoms and recent travel history indicated he or she may be infected, and that preliminary test results are expected Tuesday.
"The hospital is following all Centers for Disease Control and Texas Department of Heath recommendations to ensure the safety of patients, hospital staff, volunteers, physicians and visitors," hospital spokesman Stephen O'Brien said in a statement.
Since March, more than 6,500 people in West Africa have contracted Ebola, and more than 3,000 people have died, according to the World Health Organization, making this the largest and deadliest outbreak of the disease in history.
The virus spreads through contact with bodily fluids and is not airborne, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
