Suspected Ebola case tested at West Campus, result negative

October 7, 2014

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A suspected Ebola case that presented at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus last Thursday tested the organization’s preparedness plan. The good news is our staff at West Campus handled the case confidently and proficiently. The better news is that the patient tested negative for Ebola.

“At this time, there are no confirmed cases of Ebola at Texas Children’s Hospital,” said Texas Children’s Physician-in-Chief Dr. Mark W. Kline. “We are currently monitoring a case at West Campus, but the patient’s initial blood test for the Ebola virus has been reported as negative by the Texas public health laboratory.”

Standard protocol requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct a confirmatory parallel test. Final test results were received from the CDC on Saturday and have been reported as negative. The patient also was tested for malaria, and that test was positive. The patient currently is being treated for malaria.

The patient arrived at the West Campus Emergency Center on Thursday afternoon. Diligent screening of the patient allowed for immediate isolation as outlined in our protocol for handling suspected cases of Ebola. The organization recently elevated screening activities at all Texas Children’s facilities based on these protocols. For the past two months, we have been implementing a detailed plan to identify, isolate and treat suspected cases of Ebola if necessary.

“As you know, our physicians and staff are among the best in the world,” Kline said. “We are thoroughly prepared to safely and confidently treat any patient who exhibits symptoms of potentially contagious diseases.”

You can review specific information about Texas Children’s preparedness plan on Connect.

Be mindful of the media

There is a lot of information with varying levels of accuracy in the media about Ebola. We encourage all staff and employees to be smart about how you communicate about this information.

Remember your role and responsibility to uphold the privacy of Texas Children’s patients.

Be mindful of any comments you share on social media. Always be respectful of organizational confidentiality.

All media requests and/or social media concerns should be directed to Public Relations Director Christy Brunton at 281-684-3184. If you are contacted by any media, please redirect them to Christy.

The best way to handle any concerns you may have is to educate yourself. The most accurate and current information about Ebola is on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: www.cdc.gov