Woman at Kennedy University Hospital in Stratford, NJ does not have Ebola, officials say

STRATFORD, N.J. (WPVI) -- A South Jersey hospital is back to normal operations after doctors confirmed that a female patient who recently visited West Africa does not have Ebola.

The woman, from Gloucester Township, was taken by ambulance to Kennedy University Hospital in Stratford at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday night after she spiked a fever.

The hospital then began turning away ambulances.

In a statement released overnight, a spokesperson explained the precautions that were taken:

Because this patient had traveled to West Africa earlier in the month, and out of an abundance of caution, the patient was evaluated in isolation in the hospital's Emergency Department. She has been diagnosed with a travel-related illness that is not Ebola, and is receiving treatment for this illness. This individual has had no known exposure to Ebola.

The hospital took all necessary infection control precautions to protect patients and personnel. Kennedy has been in close contact with Camden County and State Department of Health officials since the time the patient arrived at the hospital.

At a news conference Wednesday morning, hospital officials explained that doctors have been monitoring the patient for any signs of illness since she returned to the United States on August 7th.

They said the 21-day monitoring mandated by the CDC has worked flawlessly and that first responders followed their training Tuesday night when the woman was admitted to the hospital.

Testing confirmed overnight that woman has malaria, not Ebola.

Officials stressed Wednesday morning the woman presents no public health risk.