I-Team: Tufts Medical Center Puts Ebola Contact Preparations In Place To Treat Patient
BOSTON (CBS) – Staff at Tufts Medical Center were forced to put contact preparations for Ebola into place this weekend to treat a patient, the I-Team's Lauren Leamanczyk has learned.
Sources tell WBZ-TV that patient later died. Health officials have been made aware of the situation.
Right now it is NOT believed the patient was infected with Ebola, according to sources. Hospital officials were acting with an abundance of caution.
The Boston Public Health Commission held a briefing on city wide Ebola guidance on Monday afternoon, saying that the city has investigated three or four possible Ebola cases in recent weeks. None of the cases have come close to meeting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention standard for concern that a patient has the disease.
When asked about the Tufts Medical Center incident, BPHC Director of the Infectious Disease Bureau Dr. Anita Barry said she could not comment specifically.
"I can't comment on an individual case but I will reiterate a general statement," said Barry. "We have no confirmed Ebola cases in the City of Boston, and we have actually had no recent cases that even meet the definition for CDC's person under investigation. I cannot comment on individual cases, however."
Barry said that when health officials investigate potential Ebola cases, patients are divided into three categories - high risk, low risk, and no risk.
Health officials said they want to reassure the public they are alert and prepared to identify, isolate and treat any possible Ebola cases
On Monday afternoon, Tufts Medical Center released said doctors have recently assessed patients who showed possible Ebola symptoms.
"Over the past two weeks, Tufts Medical Center has evaluated three patients for possible Ebola symptoms, but none of the three had the criteria of an expected Ebola case," hospital officials said.
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