Dallas County health officials began conducting their own tests for Ebola this weekend, days after the Pentagon gave them the green light in a move they say could help them react as quickly as possible to possible cases of the virus.
Dallas County health officials began conducting their own tests for Ebola this weekend, days after the Pentagon gave them the green light in a move they say could help them react as quickly as possible to possible cases of the virus.
Dallas County technicians in the Biosafety Level 3 Lab suited up in full protective gear to test blood samples Sunday from two people on the current Ebola contact list. Those tests both came back negative.
The tests were conducted two days after the Defense Department approved a measure to let Dallas County Health and Human Services test for the virus, with oversight from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of State Health Services.
"Time is of the essence. You want to get fast results," Dallas County Health and Human Services' director Zachary Thompson said. "Do a fast test, get it turned around and get that information to the medical providers."
Before, blood samples had to be driven to the state lab in Austin for testing. Now, Dallas County can get test results in just four to six hours.
Thompson explained that while Ebola testing is not limited to those on the Ebola contact list, any patient must meet the existing criteria to be suspected of having the virus. A doctor must request a test, too.
"You just can’t call us up and do Ebola testing,” Thompson explained. "A physician has to request the Ebola testing to our lab."
