Santa Barbara Woman in LA-Area Hospital is Negative for Ebola

Monday morning public health officials said that a Santa Barbara County resident who was being monitored since returning from a country experiencing the Ebola epidemic tested negative for the virus at a Los Angeles area hospital.

Santa Barbara County Public Health officials said the woman was isolated after she developed a fever and signs of illness on Sunday evening.

The patient was initially monitored at home and it was during that monitoring on Sunday that public health officials observed the fever and signs of illness. Following protocol the health officials isolated the patient and arranged transport to a hospital for “close monitoring, testing and implementation of full infection control measures,” said Deputy Director of Community Health for Santa Barbara County Susan Klein-Rothschild.

In a statement released Monday morning, hospital officials said “test results and clinical evaluation confirm the patient does NOT have Ebola.” She was reportedly set to be released from the hospital, although no specific time was given.