There was an Ebola scare in Woodbridge on Friday.
The Woodbridge Professional Building on Route 1 and Delaware Drive was quarantined for a brief time Friday morning.
A sick patient at one of the doctors offices raised a red flag when it when was learned he had just visited West Africa.
Here’s more in a statement from Lori Andrew-Spear, spokeswoman for the Virginia Health Department:
On Friday, July 31, an individual who was in West Africa within the past 21 days and is part of the Virginia Department of Health’s arriving passenger monitoring program developed symptoms of illness. Out of an abundance of caution, the individual was transported to a Northern Virginia hospital for assessment.
Part of that assessment involved testing for a variety of potential causes of illness including Ebola. Testing for Ebola was negative.
An alternate diagnosis was confirmed and the individual is receiving appropriate treatment and care.
Active, post-arrival monitoring was implemented on October 27, 2014, to allow public health authorities to add another layer of protection against the risk of transmission of Ebola virus disease in the United States. More information about Virginia’s active monitoring can be found here.
The all-clear was eventually given to all inside the building. A tipster to Potomac Local described a scene of confusion while the office building remained under quarantine:
They initially told everyone that it was a possible contagious medical situation, but would not provide any details, even when they were asked. The police officers on the scene told people to ask the fire department. Fireman said to ask the public health department but said they were not available for comment. In the end, hundreds of people were involuntarily detained for hours with no explanation.
It was business as usual today at the Woodbridge Professional Building.
