(RxWiki News) To date, health officials have not seen any spread of the Ebola virus in the US. But a patient who claims to have had contact with Dallas Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan is now showing symptoms of the virus.
Update (10/9/2014): According to a CNN report, a Texas health official said there is "no risk of Ebola" for Sgt. Michael Monnig. Chris Van Deusen, spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said the department knows that Monnig did not have direct contact with Duncan and that he doesn't have a fever. "In a situation like that, there is no risk of Ebola," Van Deusen said.
Monnig's son told a local CNN affiliate that his father woke up on Wednesday morning with a stomachache and feeling sore and fatigued. "With the situation, what's happened, he just decided it would be better to be safe than sorry," Logan Monnig said about his father's decision to seek medical care.
Update (10/9/2014): Monnig appears to be in good condition, according to a press statement from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. The Dallas sheriff's deputy was placed in isolation at the hospital due to possible Ebola symptoms. However, the hospital reports that he has no fever, no vomiting and no diarrhea — some of the key signs of Ebola infection.
"His current condition is not consistent with an early-stage Ebola diagnosis," the hospital announced on Thursday. "Texas Health Dallas' stand laboratory testing indicates all findings are within normal ranges. Further lab testing specimens have been received in Austin and results are expected later today."
Update (10/9/2014): According to CNN, a specimen from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital tested negative for Ebola.
The patient has been transferred from a CareNow clinic in Frisco, TX, to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas — the same hospital where Duncan was being treated.
This case has not been confirmed as an Ebola infection.
"Right now, there are more questions than answers about this case," according to a press statement from Texas Health Presbyterian. "Our professional staff of nurses and doctors is prepared to examine the patient, discuss any findings with appropriate agencies and officials. We are on alert with precautions and systems in place."
NBC Dallas-Fort Worth identified the patient as Sr. Sgt. Michael Monnig with the Dallas County Sheriff's Office. Monnig was one of the officers who entered the apartment that Duncan was visiting when he had Ebola symptoms.
Duncan, the first patient to be diagnosed with Ebola in the US, died early Wednesday morning.
The Ebola outbreak that began in March has been spreading wildly in the West African countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. While a number of health workers have been transported back to the US for treatment after contracting Ebola in West Africa, Duncan was the first person to be diagnosed on US soil.
The Ebola virus causes Ebola virus disease. Symptoms of the disease, which show up any time from two to 21 days after infection, include high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle pain, and unexplained bleeding or bruising. Ebola is not contagious until a patient shows symptoms. The disease is spread through contact with bodily fluids.
