Boston Malaria patient discharged after negative Ebola test

A man admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital Tuesday on suspicion that he was infected with Ebola has been released from the hospital after definitivelytesting negative for the deadly disease, though he is being treated formalaria.

“We want to let you know that the patient who was admitted to the MGH earlier this week with the possibility of Ebola virus disease has been cleared medically and was discharged from the hospital [Friday] morning,” a spokesman said in an emailed statement.

The patient, who was not identified, had been definitively diagnosed with malaria and is responding well to anti-malaria treatment, the hospital said. Hehas had no fever or other symptoms for the past 24 hours.

The man had been residing in Boston, but had worked in an administrative capacity in Liberia within the past three weeks. In recent months, West Africa has experienced its worst outbreak of Ebola.

The statement went on to read:“Throughout this situation we have been in close consultation with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Boston Public Health Commission, and we have carefully followed the protocols established by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The patient presents no risk to family, friends, colleagues or the public.

This situation has given us the opportunity to see firsthand the benefits of the extensive preparations that have been under way throughout the hospital for the past several months. We are very proud of the way the MGH community has responded.”