The first confirmed Ebola case in the U.S. – in Dallas – comes about six weeks after UNM Hospital took every precaution for a suspected case in Albuquerque.
Tests for the patient here came back negative, and the way UNMH handled the situation in August is in sharp contrast to what happened with the first confirmed case in Dallas.
A 30-year-old woman was admitted to UNMH in August with Ebola-like symptoms after teaching school in Sierra Leone, one of the African nations in the epidemic. Every precaution was taken; the woman was kept in strict isolation, and after her tests came back negative, her health improved and she went home.
Dr. Meghan Brett is UNMH's contagious disease expert, the hospital epidemiologist.
"I think Ebola is going to be an ongoing issue, where any hospital in the United States is potentially going to be at risk for seeing patients who are suspected of having Ebola," Dr. Brett said. "I think having a good plan and having the right training is key."
In Dallas, doctors confirmed that a sick man told a nurse he came from Liberia – ground zero in the epidemic. The information stayed with the nurse; the man was given antibiotics and sent home.
Two days later, he was back at the hospital, where he was diagnosed with Ebola. Now, everyone who had close contact with the man is being watched for symptoms – up to 18 people, including the ambulance crew that brought the man to the hospital.
Dr. Brett is not out to second-guess or criticize her counterparts in Dallas, but the differences are obvious, and with this virus, medical professionals can't afford mistakes.
Stuart Dyson