A patient at Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento (Calif.) Medical Center may have been exposed to Ebola, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is testing the patient's blood for the virus.
To protect its patients, staff and physicians, the hospital has isolated the patient in a negative pressure room and trained staff are using personal protective equipment, according to a hospital statement. They are coordinating with infectious disease experts.
"The safety of our members, patients and staff is our highest priority. Our physicians and infectious disease experts are working closely with local and state public health agencies to monitor developments and share information," the statement reads.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the largest in history. As of Aug. 19, 1,229 people have died from Ebola since the outbreak was formally announced in March, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ebola has no vaccine or real treatment, though an experimental drug, ZMapp, has been used in this outbreak to treat Ebola patients. The disease spreads through direct contact with an infected person's bodily fluids.