For the Reporter

A King County resident is negative on initial testing for the Ebola virus, according to results released Sunday by the Washington State Department of Health, Public Health Laboratory.

The individual had recently returned from Mali, a country with a small number of Ebola cases, and had developed a slight fever Saturday.

Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Public Health – Seattle & King County had been monitoring him for possible Ebola symptoms.

In addition to the fever, the patient had a sore throat but none of the other typical symptoms to suggest Ebola infection. The individual was evaluated at Harborview Medical Center on Saturday afternoon, after a fever had developed that morning. He is considered to be at low risk for Ebola, but tests were conducted as a precaution.

Additional tests are in progress for respiratory viruses and other infections that could be causing his symptoms, and he remains at Harborview in satisfactory condition. If indicated, a second test to conclusively rule out Ebola infection will be done on Monday. If negative for Ebola infection, the patient will continue to be monitored through the conclusion of the 21 day period that Ebola symptoms could develop.

Public Health – Seattle & King County routinely monitors the health of travelers arriving from Ebola-affected countries. During the cold and flu season, there may be other people under monitoring that develop symptoms that are similar to Ebola, so it’s possible that other travelers will require tests in the coming months.

“The public health systems that detect signs of possible Ebola worked well and we were able to evaluate this individual at the earliest stages of illness,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, Chief of Communicable Disease and Epidemiology at Public Health – Seattle & King County. “We expect that additional persons we are monitoring will develop fevers over the coming weeks and months, and the most likely cause will be infections other than Ebola. We may or may not get an actual case of Ebola in King County, but the rapid coordination with Harborview Medical Center and the Washington State Department of Health showed that our months of preparation have been effective.”

For more on Ebola, visit www.kingcounty.gov/health/ebola or www.doh.wa.gov. Follow us @KCPubHealth.