MUSC is evaluating patient for Ebola; 'not probable' that disease will be confirmed
Lauren Sausser
Nov 7 2014 6:50 am Nov 7 10:17 am
A member of the military who recently traveled to Liberia from South Carolina is being monitored for Ebola symptoms this morning at the Medical University Hospital in Charleston, the state health department confirmed.
"The individual was only in West Africa for three hours and did not leave their plane during that time. The risk of Ebola is extremely low, however, MUSC is following protective protocol as a precautionary measure," the agency explained in a prepared statement.
The deadly virus has killed thousands of people in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone this year.
C-17 cargo planes have recently carried supplies from the Charleston Air Force Base to some of these countries in response to the outbreak.
Col. Johnny Lamontagne, 437th Airlift Wing commander, previously told The Post and Courier that none of the base personnel come into contact with local residents during these trips.
The patient at MUSC is being tested as a precautionary measure, according to hospital spokeswoman Sarah King. She said he is very low risk and it's "not probable" that tests will come back positive.
At a meeting Gov. Nikki Haley held on Ebola two weeks ago, Department of Health and Environmental Control Director Catherine Templeton said the state health department could run preliminary tests on a patient and receive results within several hours, but that it could take longer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to confirm if the test is positive.
MUSC is one of three hospitals in South Carolina that agreed to accept Ebola patients should a case emerge here. There has been no evidence of the virus in this state to date.
MUSC spokeswoman Heather Woolwine emphasized that everything at the hospital is under control.
"We deal with people with all kinds of infectious diseases all the time," she said.
King released the following statement during a press conference this morning:
"MUSC Medical Center was contacted by DHEC late yesterday evening regarding a patient requiring Ebola medical screening. MUSC enacted it's planned response. An MUSC medical team was dispatched to the patient's home. The patient was transported to MUSC Medical Center in an isolation pod. The patient was immediately placed in the specialized isolation unit and is currently under the care of the MUSC Ebola specialized medical team of physicians, nurses and other medical personnel. The patient remains in isolation and the initial assessment indicates the patient is unlikely to have Ebola. However, MUSC and DHEC will continue to monitor the patient closely in the isolation unit. MUSC continues to collaborate with DHEC and other community partners to ensure the patient's privacy and appropriate medical care."
King could not answer other questions about the case. Federal patient privacy laws prohibit the hospital from releasing any identifying information about the patient. King would only confirm that he is male.
She did not know where he lives.
This article will be updated as more details become available.
