Santa Barbara Health Officials Monitoring Possible Ebola Case

[UPDATE]: The Public Health Department announced Monday morning that the patient does not have Ebola. Test results and clinical evaluations were completed and ruled out the virus, said Public Health spokesperson Susan Klein-Rothschild.

[ORIGINAL REPORT]: Santa Barbara health officials say they are closely monitoring a county resident who may have contracted the Ebola virus after traveling to West Africa.

The unidentified woman developed a fever and displayed other symptoms of the illness on Sunday, so she is being transferred to a Los Angeles area hospital for further assessment. Santa Barbara doctors have been in touch with the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about the possible case.

Health officials say they are not releasing the woman’s name or home city, and that the public is not at risk. Those recently in close contact with the woman have been identified and notified, authorities said. No other details were provided.

“Santa Barbara County Public Health Department has a program of monitoring individuals in the county who have recently returned from countries currently experiencing an Ebola epidemic,” said Public Health spokesperson Susan Klein-Rothschild in a prepared statement Sunday evening. “In concert with established protocols, there is an extensive screening interview and monitoring for symptoms multiple times daily during the potential Ebola virus incubation period of 21 days.”

The 2014 Ebola epidemic, concentrated mainly in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, has killed 10,251 people as of March 18, according to the CDC. Two imported cases, including one death, and two locally acquired cases in healthcare workers have been reported in the United States to date.