Columbus Resident Tests Negative for Ebola Virus - 8.5.2014
Columbus Public Health – Press Release
For Tuesday, August 05Contact: Jose Rodríguez (614) 645-6928
[email protected] Columbus Resident Tests Negative for Ebola Virus
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Confirms Negative Test ResultA 46-year-old Columbus resident who was recently tested for Ebola has tested negative for the virus. Columbus Public Health received confirmation of the negative test results today from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta which conducted the test through the Ohio Department of Health.
The woman had recently traveled to a West African nation affected by an Ebola outbreak and showed symptoms of illness upon her return to the U.S. She is still recovering in isolation at a local hospital where she is doing well.
“While Columbus has the proper facilities to handle a case of Ebola if necessary, we are happy to report that the Columbus resident has tested negative for the virus,” says Columbus Health Commissioner Dr. Teresa Long. “Together with our partners at the Ohio Department of Health and the CDC, Columbus Public Health will continue to protect the health of all central Ohio residents.”
According to the World Health Organization, 887 people have already died from Ebola. Ebola is one of the most deadly viruses on Earth with a fatality rate between approximately 50 to 90 percent. There is no cure.
The virus is transmitted through contact with blood or secretions from an infected person, either directly or through contaminated surfaces, needles or medical equipment. The virus is not airborne, so a person cannot get Ebola by breathing the air of an infected patient.
Early symptoms of Ebola include fever, muscle weakness, sore throat and headaches.
For more information on Ebola, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov.
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