The New York Times reported: “Following the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every patient entering one of the city’s hospitals who has fever, headache and other symptoms associated with Ebola (as well as countless other ailments), is asked two new questions.”
“Have you traveled to or from West African countries in the last 10 days? Have you been in contact with an Ebola patient or with anyone who has been in contact with an Ebola patient?”
“The latest episode involved a man who had recently been to West Africa, and who went to the emergency room at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan late Sunday with a high fever and gastrointestinal problems, the hospital reported on Monday.”
“But the city’s health department issued a statement on Monday saying that after consulting with Mount Sinai and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, the health department has concluded that the patient is unlikely to have Ebola. Specimens are being tested for common causes of illness and to definitively exclude Ebola. Testing results will be made available by C.D.C. as soon as they are available.”
““At NYU Langone Medical Center last week, a patient who went to the emergency room with a fever and who mentioned a recent visit to West Africa was given a mask and moved to a secluded area,” said Dr. Michael Phillips, the hospital’s director of Infection Prevention and Control. But further questioning revealed that the patient had not visited any of the affected countries, “so we stopped right there,” Dr. Phillips said.”
“At Bellevue Hospital Center last week, a patient was placed in isolation, but it quickly became clear that he did not have Ebola.”
Click here to read the full New York Times article “Patients’ Symptoms Raise Concern About Ebola in New York” by Denise Grady and Marc Santora.
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Doctor, Did You Wash Your Hands? ™ provides information to consumers on understanding, managing and navigating health care options.
Jonathan M. Metsch, Dr.P.H., is Clinical Professor, Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and Adjunct Professor, Baruch College ( C.U.N.Y.), Rutgers School of Public Health, and Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration.
This blog shares general information about understanding and navigating the health care system. For specific medical advice about your own problems, issues and options talk to your personal physician.