A person who landed at LAX after traveling to Liberia has been rushed to Centinela Hospital Medical Center to be tested for Ebola, according to a statement from the hospital obtained by TheWrap.
The patient was brought to the Centinela Hospital Medical Center Emergency Department on Tuesday night by ambulance from Los Angeles International Airport.
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“Ambulance personnel alerted the hospital prior to arrival so upon entry to the hospital campus, all CDC precautions were fully implemented,” said the hospital in a statement. “The hospital has been preparing for the possibility of this situation for weeks and staff has been trained per CDC protocols.”
The patient does not have any symptoms of Ebola, but precautions were taken due to travel history and the patient has not yet tested positive or negative for the virus. The patient will remain isolated in the hospital’s ER for evaluation and testing will be conducted in consultation with the CDC, according to the hospital.
“Our ER team did a precise and thorough job of implementing our full protocol. They acted quickly and decisively in determining the status of the patient and contacted all necessary authorities,” said hospital CEO Linda Bradley. “Myself and our Chief Medical Officer, Paryus Patel, MD have been in close communication with CDPH, CDC and all appropriate public health agencies.”
The hospital remains open to seeing other patients and “are taking all steps to ensure our patients, their families, staff, and the community are protected.”
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In the wake of the global Ebola scare, which has now taken the life of one U.S. patient, Eric Duncan, in Dallas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that five of the biggest airports in the U.S will have enhanced Ebola screening for passengers coming from the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
LAX is not among the affected airports, which are O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Kennedy International in New York, Washington Dulles International, Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta and Newark Liberty International.