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NIH expected to admit US nurse exposed to Ebola virus
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The NIH expects to admit a patient exposed to Ebola virus to its clinical center in Bethesda, Md., later today.
The patient, an American nurse who was volunteering in an Ebola treatment unit in Sierra Leone, will be admitted to the organization’s special clinical studies unit for observation and clinical protocol enrollment, according to a press release. This unit is designed for isolation cases, is staffed by trained infectious disease and critical care specialists, and has had experience treating patients exposed to the virus. Access to the unit will be strictly controlled to prevent outbreak within the US.
“NIH is taking every precaution to ensure the safety of our patients, NIH staff and the public,” the organization wrote in the press release. “This situation presents minimal risk to any of them.”
As of Dec. 10, there have been 17,942 reported cases of Ebola virus and 6,388 related deaths, according to WHO.