It was about 1:30 p.m. when the infected patient came into the hospital, according to Jeremy Cocanougher, director of marketing at the hospital.
He told the Associated Press that the patient was covered in spots and that they were far larger and more numerous than traditional chicken pox, which alarmed doctors. The patient had also been overseas recently, raising more concerns.
According to a post on the Facebook page of the Danville-Boyle County Emergency Management, placed at 11:22 p.m. Saturday, the hospital had received confirmation the patient had two strains of adult chicken pox.
At 7:44 a.m. Sunday, a post on the Ephraim McDowell Health page stated that the patient is not a risk to the community’s health.
According to the Center for Disease Control, chicken pox can be severe for adults, as well as babies, adolescents, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems. It can cause dehydration, pneumonia, brain infection or inflammation, blood stream infections, toxic shock syndrome, and possibly even death.
In 2005 and 2006, recommendations were adopted that encouraged two doses of the vaccine. The first dose for those between 12 and 15 months and a second at four to six years old. “Catch-up” doses are also available for those adolescents and adults who had only received the first dose as children.
During the nine hour ordeal, the patient remained in isolation, and the entire emergency department at Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center remained closed. Potential patients were being diverted to area hospitals. The rest of the hospital remained fully operational.
It was during that time that the hospital released a statement in which they said the patient was being evaluated as a “potential public health risk,” but would release nothing further than to say it was working with Center for Disease Control and state and local health officials.
At about 7:30 p.m. staff members without direct patient contact were released and those patients that were able to moved out of the ER were being moved.
It was about 11 p.m. when the emergency department opened again, according to the Associated Press.
Repeated efforts by The Advocate-Messenger to speak with representatives at the hospital were not successful.
