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HUP: Patient does not have Ebola

The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.Read more

A recent traveler to West Africa who was evaluated for Ebola at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania does not have the disease, the hospital said Friday.

The patient's blood sample was tested at the state lab in Lionville, Chester County, and showed no evidence of the deadly virus, said Susan Phillips, Penn Medicine's senior vice president for public affairs.

She said the hospital and the state lab have been in contact with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The announcement came just a few hours after the hospital reported that the patient was being evaluated.

The patient was admitted to a special isolation room that the hospital had set up weeks ago in anticipation of a suspected case of Ebola. However, the patient was considered to be at low risk, Phillips said.

The hospital also has trained staff in the use of protective gear, set up an isolation area near its emergency room, and outfitted an ambulance for transport of a suspected case of Ebola.

As of Nov. 17, about 131 individuals were being monitored for Ebola in Pennsylvania, according to the state health department.

Pennsylvania is one of six states that have been directed by the CDC to monitor all travelers from the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Mali who arrive at five designated airports in the U.S. and then travel into the state.

For 21 days, the travelers then report daily temperature checks and any symptoms to the state health department.

mmccullough@phillynews.com

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