UC Davis Medical Center Treating Possible Ebola Patient

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) –  The UC Davis Medical Center says they are treating a patient with a possible Ebola infection at the hospital Thursday morning.

Dignity Health officials said in a statement that the patient was first identified at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento before being transferred to UC Davis.

"In coordination with the public health department and CDC, Dignity Health Mercy General Hospital has transferred a patient to UC Davis Medical Center, which is specifically equipped to care for patients suspected of having or diagnosed with Ebola as part of the public health department's preparedness plan," wrote Melissa Jue from Dignity Health.

UC Davis Medical Center officials wrote in a statement that the patient has "symptoms consistent with Ebola infection." The hospital noted they are a "priority hospital" for treatment of confirmed Ebola patients.

"The hospital is coordinating its response with the Sacramento County Department of Public Health. Measures put in place to protect the health and safety of hospital workers and patients include extensive training on proper use of personal protective equipment and the establishment of a dedicated isolation room for treatment of suspected and confirmed Ebola patients," the hospital wrote.

Authorities can be seen at both Mercy General and UC Davis in face masks.

Mercy General says they are not taking patients at their emergency department at this time and that the area is being cleaned. Both hospitals are operating as normal.

UC Davis canceled a press conference it had scheduled for Thursday afternoon. No explanation was immediately given.

In August, a Sacramento resident who traveled to West Africa and was suspected of having the virus, but the test came back negative.

"The most important thing is for someone to think it could possibly happen here, so you can ask the appropriate questions to identify it," said UC Davis Director of Infection Control Dr. Stuart Cohen.

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Patients undergoing tests are likely in an isolation room that pipes in fresh air 12 times an hour and requires special clothing for doctors and nurses.

If the UC Davis patient is confirmed to have the disease, this would be the first case of Ebola in California.