Doctors Calming Fears After Sacramento Patient Tested For Ebola Exposure
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Doctors are trying to calm fears after confirming a patient is being tested for the Ebola virus in Sacramento.
Results on the test could be in by the end of the week.
"We have been working closely with healthcare facilities and local health departments to implement a system of early identification and isolation of patients," said Dr. James Watt with the California Department of Public Health.
Doctors confirmed on Wednesday that a patient that traveled to a part of west Africa recently is undergoing tests.
There is no clear indicator when a patient has contracted the Ebola virus, which can only be transferred from human to human by bodily fluid.
Fever and muscle aches are two of the common symptoms.
"The most important thing is for someone to think it could possibly happen here, so you can ask the appropriate questions to identify it," said UC Davis Director of Infection Control Dr. Stuart Cohen.
The patient undergoing tests is now likely in an isolation room that pipes in fresh air 12 times an hour and requires special clothing for doctors and nurses.
Mia Pinto, registered nurse who works at the hospital where the patient is receiving care, called for more information about the risks of the Ebola virus.
"As a nurse and fellow colleague, I want to make sure the nurses and the physicians are well-informed about what to do in case you're in contact with one of these patients," she said.
