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Physician tests positive for Ebola in New York
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A physician in New York has tested positive for Ebola after returning from Guinea where he was volunteering and working with patients with Ebola, the CDC reported.
The patient is in isolation at Bellevue Hospital, one of eight hospitals in New York state designated to treat Ebola patients. A CDC team determined that the hospital has been trained in the proper protocols and is prepared to treat patients with Ebola.
“We have been preparing for months for the threat posed by Ebola,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said during a press conference. “We have clear and strong protocols, which are being scrupulously followed and were followed in this instance.”
The positive Ebola test was done by the New York City Health Department laboratory and confirmation testing will be done at the CDC laboratory.
The physician returned to New York through JFK airport on Oct. 17 and underwent the enhanced screening put in place by the CDC and the Department of Homeland Security for travelers arriving from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. He did not have fever or other symptoms of illness until Oct. 23, when he reported a fever to local health officials, the CDC said. He was transported to the hospital by a specially-trained HAZ TAC unit.
The CDC is working closely with the New York City Health Department and Bellevue Hospital and has dispatched three members of the Ebola Response Team to the city. The health department has interviewed the patient regarding close contacts and activities.