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Tests come back negative after an Ebola scare at Denver Health

Posted at 10:21 AM, Jul 30, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-30 12:21:45-04

A patient being evaluated in Denver Health’s isolation unit tested negative for Ebola, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment.

The patient was transported to the hospital at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Sunday morning with Ebola considered as a potential diagnosis.

Ebola is a virus that causes severe bleeding and organ failure and can lead to death. It’s spread through saliva, touching a contaminated surface, animal and insect bites or blood products.

Connie Price, an infectious diseases physician and Chief Medical Officer of Denver Health, said earlier that it would not likely be a confirmed Ebola case after an initial review of the patients’ symptoms.

Price said in a press conference Sunday evening that the patient had reported being in an area of the Congo on a medical missionary trip but was in a location where the Ebola outbreak had recently been officially declared over, with no cases reported for at least 45 days, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

"Although that area of the world had not seen any new cases for more than 45 days, out of an abundance of caution, due to his reports of dealing with sick individuals including the deceased, we felt it necessary to admit him to our biocontainment unit while we sorted through the facts and obtained some initial tests," Price said.

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