Lubbock Man Does Not Appear to Have Ebola

By Sarah Self-Walbrick and Alicia Keene

This morning, a Lubbock man was admitted to University Medical Center with two flu-like symptoms that are similar to Ebola, but news reports stated it has been confirmed he does not have Ebola.

According to the Center for Disease Control website, clinical criteria involves having a fever above 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Additional symptoms include severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain or unexplained hemorrhage.

According to UMC officials, the man, whose name has not been released yet, had recently traveled to western Africa. The patient will be released and monitored by the Lubbock Health Department.

The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported that the man had recently traveled to the Ivory Coast, a country which has not had a reported Ebola case in the recent outbreaks. The Ivory Coast has had one, nonfatal case of Ebola ever reported, which was in 1994, according to the CDC.

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The CDC website says basic healthy habits such as frequent hand washing and care around bodily fluids are good measure to take if worried about protecting oneself. Ebola is not an airborne virus and can only be contracted through bodily fluids.

In an interview with Tod Robberson, editorial reporter with the Dallas Morning News, last week, he said it was unlikely that Ebola would be diagnosed in Lubbock.

“Everybody should be vigilant on it,” Robberson said. “I would say the likelihood is low, but believe it or not, Texas Tech has a high attraction for students from Africa.”

According to Vox.com, so far, only one person has died from Ebola in the United States. Three people have been diagnosed.

UMC held  a press conference today at 4 p.m. Here are the takeaways:

Patient was diagnosed to have a known medical condition that was not Ebola.

The patient had visited the Ivory Coast, which has no known cases during this outbreak.

Travel to a high-risk country is important consideration in diagnosing an Ebola case.

Isolation protocols were used just to be safe.

Symptoms of Ebola, such as vomiting, stomach cramps and bruising, were not present in this case.

The City of Lubbock will monitor temperatures as a precaution.

The employees are being trained today and tomorrow how to put on and remove the protective equipment, which is a critical element in preventing the disease.

They have had to re-train everyone how to do this well.

The patient may be from Africa.

The initial evaluation was very quick.

“The biggest message today is people are afraid and react radically with very little information, so it is very important to take a breathe and move forward carefully.”

Get a flu shot. Early symptoms of flu and Ebola are similar.

 

About Sarah Self-Walbrick

Graduate Executive Director — Mass Communication Graduate Student, Class of 2017
Sarah, a Lubbock native, has two bachelor of art degrees in electronic media and communication and journalism, and is pursuing a master's in mass communications. She loves Texas, her husband and dog, and good storytelling.