A Dallas patient at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital tested positive for Ebola. The patient is the first individual diagnosed in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention confirmed the diagnosis of Ebola on Tuesday afternoon. The patient's symptoms started after returning to Texas from West Africa and Presbyterian Hospital admitted the patient into isolation on Sunday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Ebola is a severe and often fatal disease. The disease is spread through direct contact with blood, bodily fluids and/or exposure to contaminated objects, such as, needles. While there is not a cure or a vaccine for Ebola, people can recover with intensive treatment in a hospital.
The CDC is monitoring people connected to the Dallas Ebola case, but no other individuals are currently exhibiting symptoms.
What does this mean for me?
Ebola is not spread through the air or by water, making the risk to the rest of us in DFW low. The disease is not spread by simply being near someone who is infected. For individuals in direct contact with the patient, symptoms may appear from 2 -21 days after exposure.
