The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) has been notified that laboratory testing confirms a Cobb County, Ga. patient is not infected with Ebola. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted the final testing Friday evening after Cobb County law enforcement arrested a suspect who reported flu-like symptoms along with recent travel to Liberia.
“From the very beginning, from the very first moment, this case was handled in absolutely perfect manner,” said Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health, who commended staff at the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, MetroAtlanta Ambulance Service, WellStar Kennestone Hospital and the Cobb/Douglas Public Health District for their strict adherence to proper protocols.
“This patient was isolated at the jail, isolated while he was transported to the hospital, and he was isolated while at the hospital,” Fitzgerald said.
DPH has been working to ensure hospitals, medical care providers, law enforcement and emergency medical services (EMS) providers are aware of proper containment protocols. Specific guidance has been distributed to Georgia’s EMS providers, Georgia’s hospital systems, and Georgia’s licensed physicians and physician assistants.
