Colorado patient tests negative for Ebola: state health officials

DENVER (Reuters) - A patient being monitored at a Denver hospital after traveling to countries with a history of Ebola has tested negative for the disease, Colorado health officials said on Monday.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment had said the test at a state lab was ordered out of "an abundance of caution."

The person, whose name has not been released, was transferred by ambulance to the bio-containment unit of Denver Health Medical Center on Sunday after experiencing a fever, the hospital said in a statement.

The patient tested negative for Ebola and will continue to be hospitalized for further observation at Denver Health Medical Center, where the person was being treated in an isolation unit by specially trained staff, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

State officials said earlier on Monday they made their decision to test the patient after consulting with various health officials, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They previously said the patient would simply be monitored and evaluated.

The patient's condition has not deteriorated, state health officials said.

The latest World Health Organization weekly data showed the epidemic had killed 8,235 of the 20,747 people known to be infected worldwide. The vast majority of cases and deaths are in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

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