Colorado Patient, Who Visited An Ebola-Affected Country, Being Tested

A person in Colorado was being tested for Ebola on Thursday after reporting symptoms similar to that of the virus, local reports said, citing health officials. However, the patient, who was not identified, was considered low-risk.

The person had recently visited one of the countries affected by the virus, which has so far killed over 10,000 people. On Wednesday evening, the patient was taken to the Medical Center of the Rockies, which lies about 50 miles north of Denver, Reuters reported, citing a statement from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).

“CDPHE is currently conducting an Ebola test, and results should be known on Thursday morning. The patient also is being evaluated/tested for other conditions,” the statement from CDPHE said, according to KKTV, a local news network, adding: “While the patient is considered to be at low risk of infection with the Ebola virus, the patient is in an isolated and secure area away from other patients, staff and visitors during the evaluation process.”

The statement added that the symptoms for the virus may start showing anytime between two and 21 days. The symptoms for the Ebola virus, which spreads only through direct contact, include fever, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and lack of appetite. The virus has mostly affected West African countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, where it was first found.

A report from KUSA TV, a local news network, said that the results of the Ebola test should be known by Thursday morning.

So far, at least 10 people are known to have been treated for Ebola in the U.S., but only four of them were diagnosed on the U.S. soil, Reuters reported. Two people contracted the disease in the U.S., both of whom treated Thomas Eric Duncan, an Ebola patient from Liberia who died last October.