A patient admitted to the emergency room at River Region Medical Center on Monday with symptoms similar to Ebola was cleared later of any connection to the disease, hospital officials said.

In a release from the hospital Monday evening, officials said a patient, who “exhibited symptoms that could be associated with Ebola” was immediately isolated and screened with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The patient was cleared, did not require testing and was discharged from the hospital.

“Following a careful and thorough review of the patient’s symptoms and risk factors, the Department of Health and the CDC have determined that this patient does not require testing for Ebola,” the hospital said in the release. “Although we believe it is highly unlikely there would be an Ebola case in our community, we remain alert and ready to provide care, if necessary.”

The patient was the third person in Mississippi to go to a hospital complaining of symptoms that could be associated with Ebola. The early stages of the disease mimic influenza.

 

Heightened alert

Hospitals in the U.S. were placed on heightened alert Friday after Eric Duncan, 42, was hospitalized with the disease at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas on Sept. 28, about two weeks after he had contact with a friend suffering from the illness in his native Liberia.

Duncan is the first person diagnosed with Ebola on American soil. Due to the mishandling of Duncan’s first visit to a hospital in Texas the CDC issued more stringent guidelines.

Friday, a person walked into the North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo with concerns about Ebola but was later cleared.

Monday, a person showing possible Ebola-like symptoms went to University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, but was determined not to have the disease, a hospital spokesman said.

 

Discovery of Ebola

Ebola was first discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The host for the virus is believed to be bats and non-human primates, which are frequently eaten in West Africa.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are five strains of the disease: Ebola Zaire, Ebola Sudan, Ebola Tai Forest (the former Ivory Coast), Ebola Budibuyo, for a small town in Uganda, and Ebola Reston.

Ebola Reston, which was discovered in the U.S., affects only non-human primates.

 

Symptoms of Ebola

Symptoms of Ebola include a fever of 101.5 degrees or higher, severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and unexplained bleeding or bruising, according to the CDC.

Symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 21 days after exposure to Ebola, but the average is 8 to 10 days, according to the CDC.

 

Procedures for Ebola

When a patient shows the symptoms, or is diagnosed with the disease, the CDC recommends a set procedure for isolation, including putting the patient into a single room with a private bathroom with the door closed a record of all people entering and leaving the room.

Other precautions include wearing gloves, a gown, eye protection and a facemask when dealing with the patient, using dedicated equipment with any non-dedicated and non-disposable equipment must be cleaned and disinfected and limiting the use of needles.

 

Spread of Ebola

The virus has run rampant in Africa, because the health care system is not equipped to deal with the infection. Many clinics there do no the basic equipment — things like gloves and masks — to protect health workers.

There’s also a long-standing mistrust between citizens and the government, and many Africans initially denied the existence of Ebola, leading to its unbridled spread.

Reporters Josh Edwards and John Surratt contributed to this story.