Richmond, Va. - The Virginia Department of Health announced Tuesday that Ebola virus was not detected in a patient that had been isolated at VCU Medical Center on Monday.
Dr. Donald Stern, Richmond City Health District Director, confirmed that the patient is visiting the U.S. from West Africa and was seen at CrossOver Healthcare Ministry Clinic in Richmond on Monday for a condition unrelated to Ebola.
Since the patient had a travel history that included areas of concern and was also exhibiting a low-grade fever, the clinic followed their infectious disease protocol and placed the patient in isolation. The patient was later admitted to VCU Medical Center for further testing,.
“The patient was referred to a local hospital for laboratory evaluation,”Dr. Stern said. “The patient did not meet the CDC’s criteria for Ebola, but does meet optional criteria, so we thought it be reasonable to do additional testing….it may include an Ebola test if the clinicians determine it would be a reasonable test to perform on this patient.”
On Tuesday, the Virginia Department of Health confirmed that testing was complete and Ebola virus was not detected. They say the test results will be confirmed by the CDC.
