Mayor: I Requested Ebola Test Be Conducted Out Of Caution
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A teenager has been taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital to be screened for Ebola after becoming ill early Sunday morning.
Officials believe the teenager visiting Miami Beach from West Africa is not likely to have Ebola.
Watch Oralia Ortega's report, click here.
Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine said the patient was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital on Miami Beach around 3 a.m. Sunday.
Hazmat safety crews were outside Holtz Children's Hospital which is part of Jackson Health System Sunday while City of Miami Police and Fire Rescue blocked off the entrance near Northwest 17th Street and 9th Avenue.
Watch Maggie Newland's report, click here.
It was just before 4:00 p.m. Sunday when Miami Fire Dept. got a call from Miami Beach Fire rescue and asked to stand by with their hazardous materials team for a possible decontamination operation.
"Miami Beach responded to an incident involving a teenager that may have had some type of illness or virus but they weren't sure," said Captain Ignatius Carroll with City of Miami Fire Rescue. "Rescuers were in a de-con suit to protect them and then they transported this teenager to Jackson Memorial's Holtz Children's to receive further treatment."
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said Sunday night he requested an Ebola test and released a statement:
"This morning I was briefed on actions that our local health officials had taken in a specific case here in Miami-Dade County. Due to patient privacy rules, the County is limited in what information we can provide. However, our residents and visitors should rest assured that despite the fact that this patient who was visiting our area did not meet the test criteria established by the Centers for Disease Control, and that it is unlikely that they have Ebola, out of an abundance of caution I requested that the test still be conducted. Again, at this time, we have no reason to believe that this patient is infected with the virus. My administration will continue to monitor the situation."
Governor Scott released the following statement Sunday while the Department of Health works with the CDC to test the patient for Ebola in Miami:
"Florida's Department of Health is working with the federal CDC to test a patient at a local Miami hospital who was screened today for Ebola. It's important to point out that this patient did not meet the CDC case definition for Ebola, but the test is being conducted out of an abundance of caution and health officials expect the test to rule out Ebola. We are in close communication with Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez, and other local officials and health leaders in Miami-Dade."
Mayor Levine said the patient and his family were vacationing on Miami Beach, but it's not clear whether they were staying at an area hotel or somewhere else.
It's also not known whether the teenager was placed in immediate isolation when arriving at Mount Sinai.
"Do you know how prepared Mount Sinai was for something like this, when the child was brought to Jackson, the Hazmat team was brought in what precautions were taken at Mount Sinai?" asked CBS4's Maggie Newland while speaking with Mayor Levine. "Mount Sinai was great to work with and of course coordinating with our police and fire they were available they received properly but it was important, as you know, with any young person for further treatment we like to send them to more of a specialized area. Jackson has those resources," Levine responded.
Miami Fire Rescue officials said the streets by Jackson Memorial Hospital were closed-off to prevent anyone from coming into contact with the child being transported into the hospital.
Jackson Memorial Hospital is the hospital in Miami-Dade County equipped to handle patients with potential Ebola symptoms.
Hospital officials said the facility has been working closely with the Health Department and the CDC and conducting practice drills in case a patient with Ebola comes through its doors.
The hospital already dealt with one possible Ebola case last month. That patient tested negative and officials fully expect the patient brought to the hospital Sunday to test negative too.
The hospital's Corporate Director of Media Relations and Internal Communications, Edwin L. O'Dell, released a statement Sunday afternoon:
"Jackson has been publicly forthcoming in asserting our confidence and readiness, and that we have established and tested protocols to deal with infectious diseases in general and with Ebola in specific. We will do everything to ensure safety and treatment for all of our patients. Jackson takes patient privacy serious and will not release information without consent."
Officials added the hospital had no disruptions in patient care during the transport or arrival of the patient.
Rescue officials said they will respond accordingly to any potential Ebola cases.
"We'd rather overkill and go above and beyond than to not do enough and to end up having a more serious situation," said Captain Carroll about the response. "This could turn out to be nothing and this was a good drill, something that we have practiced time and time again."
Governor Scott has asked the Division of Emergency Management to activate the state's Joint Information Center Monday at 9 a.m.
Ebola is a deadly disease that has gripped much of West Africa over the past few months.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Symptoms of Ebola include
- Fever (greater than 101.5°F)
- Severe headache
- Muscle pain
- Weakness
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Abdominal (stomach) pain
- Unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising)
Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to Ebola, but the average is 8 to 10 days.
Recovery from Ebola depends on good supportive clinical care and the patient's immune response. People who recover from Ebola infection develop antibodies that last for at least 10 years.
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