Santa Barbara Woman Tests Negative For Ebola
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A Santa Barbara County woman Monday hospitalized in Los Angeles for Ebola symptoms has tested negative for the virus, according to officials.
Santa Barbara County Public Health officials said the woman was isolated after she developed a fever and signs of illness on Sunday evening.
In a statement released Monday morning, officials said "(t)est results and clinical evaluation confirm the patient does NOT have Ebola." She was reportedly set to be released from the hospital, although no specific time was given.
Dr. Charity Dean with the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO it's a big relief for the patient.
"You can imagine there was a fair amount of anxiety involved any time someone who's being monitored for Ebola starts to show any kind of symptoms or illness," Dean said.
The woman has been monitored since she returned from one of the countries that experienced the active Ebola epidemic, authorities explained.
CBS2's Kara Finnstrom reported that state and federal officials were alerted, which is part of the protocol.
According to officials, anyone who may have encountered close contact with the patient has been identified.
It remains unclear what hospital the woman is being monitored at.
Hospitals with Ebola protocols include UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, Kaiser Los Angeles and University of California Irvine Medical Center in Orange, Finnstrom explained.