BREAKING: Hospital officials: Kansas City patient at risk for Ebola

This was just announced, but the story is continuing to develop for a patient recently arriving from west Africa...and being admitted in K.C.

Hospital officials in Kansas City say a patient at risk for Ebola is in strict isolation.

By MARILYNN MARCHIONE
AP Chief Medical Writer

The idea that all U.S. hospitals may not be able to safely treat Ebola patients seemed to find more acceptance Monday as a second federal official suggested it was worth rethinking whether to send patients to one of the specialized units set up to deal with dangerous germs.

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The University of Kansas Hospital reports an individual called and then came into the hospital early Monday morning with a high fever and other serious symptoms.

Because the patient had recently worked on a medical boat off the west coast of Africa, the patient was immediately isolated on a special infectious disease unit and is undergoing tests.

Hospital staff met the patient wearing personal protection equipment and followed the hospital's plan for this kind of illness.

Tests are underway to determine a diagnosis.

While the hospital cannot rule out Ebola at this time, Dr. Lee Norman, chief medical officer of The University of Kansas Hospital, says the patient is at low to moderate risk of Ebola.

Norman said there are many other diseases that fit the patient's symptoms, and the hospital is following guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control.

Care is being provided by a dedicated team of nurses and other health professionals.

The staff will not treat other patients during this period until diagnosis and treatment plans are completed, the hospital said.

The hospital is in close contact with federal, state and local health officials.

Regardless of the diagnosis, hospital officials said the patient is in an isolated area of the hospital and does not pose a health risk to other patients, staff or visitors in the hospital.

The area has its own ventilation system. All bedding and medical waste is being isolated from the regular hospital material under federal CDC and state transportation guidelines, the hospital said.

No other information on the patient is available due to federal privacy laws.



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This is getting crazy(er).

C'MON, OBAMA!!!! It's time for flight restrictions!!! NOW!

Any time someone gets any kind of serious infection, they will have a fever. If that infection affects the stomach and digestive system (food poisoning, viral infection, chemical irritation), they will more than likely vomit and have diarrhoea. Drinking too much salt water is enough to do this.

Every time someone takes a flight home from a foreign airport they are likely to pick up some kind of stomach bug. So we are going to have all these panics all the time.

We really need some kind of swab test or bio-marker spray that would glow in the presence of the Ebola virus proteins.

a reply to: IAMTAT

just saw this on my local news. Im in KC so now its getting real for me .

press conference coming soon. local news reporting patient was doing medical work on a boat of the coast of West Africa.

No %@#$ Leadership!

I too am getting disgusted reading and hearing about this. It's obviously effecting everyone yet nothing is being done or said. Thank god Obama got to play his 200th golf session though!

Totally annoyed at our government for the lack of anything, I give them a vote of 'No Confidence' on this.

a reply to: alienjuggalo

Ditto, on the getting real. We are watching this closely, too. Thankfully, the child goes to daycare in St. Jo, not KC. Hopefully, this is a south KC person as we live in the Northland.

There are these cases of "suspected" infected going on all over the world, the problem on ATS is it's mostly the US we hear about as there are many US citizens here, so it seems like the US is getting invaded by people with Ebola when it most likely is something completely harmless.

a reply to: AnteBellum

I agree, our government has moved from incompetent to utter disregard for one of the worst possible health hazards in the world!! This is something that should be given maximum priority yet it is not!! How flights are allowed out of west Africa is simply incomprehensible!!

I read this as I'm on a layover in KC...

a reply to: WordsAreAvenues

Yikes, please be careful.

I said it in another post, I'm happy they're playing it safe. They should really disallow travelers from affected countries though. It's not only in the interest of national security, it's in the interest of humanity.

FINALLY! someone has the intelligence/decency to call ahead so the hospital can take measures to limit exposure!!

originally posted by: IAMTAT
The University of Kansas Hospital reports an individual called and then came into the hospital early Monday morning with a high fever and other serious symptoms.

If the government won't restrict flights, maybe the people ought to:

1. Stop booking flights
2. Stop flying the flights pilots
3. Stop working the flights ground and flight crews
4. Stop handling baggage

They can't fire everyone if everyone refuses. And if the companies can't survive, oh well, poor risk management and planning. New ones will spring up when this is under control.

ETA: Like the cleaners at LaGuardia did (whatever happened to that?)

And what on earth is this? A piss poor excuse. If emergency personnel need to get in and out fly them in on special or military planes. I swear they think we're stupid.They really do.

Should all air travel out of the affected region be banned?

While some members of Congress have called for a complete ban, officials in the health care field say that would be counterproductive. Flights from the three international airports in the hot zone have already slowed to a trickle, Gendreau says. “Travel is really down, but if you shut it down completely, the people who need to be there [to fight the disease] can’t get in." Above all, the public needs to keep this in context, he says. The Ebola outbreak “has been going on since March and flights weren’t curtailed until more than five months later. “You have had half a year of this and you can count on your hands the people who have gotten it outside of West Africa,” he says. [Source]

As to that last line? So far.

originally posted by: kimmie7
FINALLY! someone has the intelligence/decency to call ahead so the hospital can take measures to limit exposure!!

originally posted by: IAMTAT
The University of Kansas Hospital reports an individual called and then came into the hospital early Monday morning with a high fever and other serious symptoms.

Truth be told, anyone who legitimately thinks they are infected probably ought to call 911 and inform them, and let them make the call on transportation.

People driving themselves to the hospital is not a safe or secure means to move the infected around.

a reply to: kimmie7

The person deserves the key to the city. Not only common sense but common decency. Better than walking in sick as a dog then informing them from a foot away "I just returned from a hot zone."

True - but I was so shocked by the actual intelligence shown that I didn't take the logic to it's fullest... ;-)

originally posted by: captaintyinknots

originally posted by: kimmie7
FINALLY! someone has the intelligence/decency to call ahead so the hospital can take measures to limit exposure!!

originally posted by: IAMTAT
The University of Kansas Hospital reports an individual called and then came into the hospital early Monday morning with a high fever and other serious symptoms.

Truth be told, anyone who legitimately thinks they are infected probably ought to call 911 and inform them, and let them make the call on transportation.

People driving themselves to the hospital is not a safe or secure means to move the infected around.

originally posted by: IAMTAT
C'MON, OBAMA!!!! It's time for flight restrictions!!! NOW!

We're beyond that. A sensible government would have had control of the border long ago (many years ago) for any myriad of reasons besides pandemic. Loss of control of the border has been responsibility of both parties. This particular case is playing out way too much like an agenda. The only alternative to an agenda is a government that is so idiotic that it's beyond comprehension.

how long is then till people become complacent....with the amount of scares of suspected ebola cases i would imagine soon people will disregard the possibility as highly unlikely...that is when someone will slip through the cracks

sigh, if this is ebola, let's see how we mishandle this one...

a reply to: Bicent76

I hope not. KU Med has a reputation as one of the top hospitals in the region.