Ebola in Hawaii? Not a good mix for the Hawaii travel and tourism industry

Tourism is the largest business, tax earner and employment source as well as the largest export for the isolated US State of Hawaii located in the Pacific Ocean 2500 miles west from the California coast line.

The Hawaii Department of Health has confirmed a patient is currently in the hospital and surprisingly was not isolated for most of the day. According to a local news-report the patient was moved to the isolation ward late afternoon Hawaii time. This patient is undergoing testing at Queens Medical Center in Honolulu for the Ebola Virus.

Cedric Yamanaka, Director, Corporate Communications, The Queen’s Medical Center told eTN: “Queen’s is bound by patient confidentiality and cannot share any information regarding the status of any of our patients.”
He referred all other questions to the State of Hawaii Health Department.

Janice Okubo spokesperson for the Hawaii Health Department told eTN it was too early to comment. When asked what flights this person was on when arriving from Africa, the spokesperson did not deny, but said: “Before we can release such information, we need to be sure Ebola is involved. This patient could have other illnesses.”

Officially she provided this official statement from the Hawaii State Department of Health:

The Hawaii State Department of Health is evaluating a patient in isolation at a Honolulu hospital for possible symptoms that may be consistent with Ebola. The department was notified today of the case and is in the preliminary stages of an investigation into the travel history and clinical presentation of the individual. The patient is still undergoing evaluation and may be diagnosed with a number of conditions other than Ebola. The department is working closely with the hospital which is following all precautionary measures to ensure the health and safety of patients, staff, and the community.

Ebola is a severe disease that can be fatal. Early symptoms include sudden fever, fatigue and headache. Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure. Ebola virus is spread through direct contact with blood, secretions or other bodily fluids or exposure to contaminated objects, such as needles. Ebola is not contagious until symptoms appear.

At this time, the department is not releasing any additional information on the patient or the patient’s status. The department will provide an update tomorrow or as new information becomes available.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority was not be able for comments after business hours.

Queens is the largest hospital in the State of Hawaii with excellent state of the art facilities.

Hawaii Health Officials told KHON2 TV news in Honolulu, Ebola is a possibility, however the patient has yet to be specifically tested for the virus.

Two major red flags are if the patient has a fever and if he or she has been to West Africa in the past 21 days, officials said. The Health Department of the State is quiet and would not yet confirm if this applies to the patient.

The Health department said it was notified Wednesday morning and is still in the early stages of investigation. The public including tourists visiting the Aloha State should not be concerned at this point.

According to experts this patient could have a number of illnesses including Ebola, flu, malaria and typhoid.