UPDATED 8/4/2014 6:15 PM: The patient is "unlikely to have Ebola," according to the New York City Health Department. In a statement, it adds: "Specimens are being tested for common causes of illness and to definitively exclude Ebola. Testing results will be made available by CDC as soon as they are available.”
A man recently returned from West Africa and displaying Ebola-like symptoms -- “a high fever and gastrointestinal symptoms” -- is being tested for the disease, a New York City hospital said.
The patient presented Monday morning at Mount Sinai Hospital, administrators said in a statement, and has been isolated while he undergoes testing. To protect his privacy, no other details are being released at this time.
"All necessary steps are being taken to ensure the safety of all patients, visitors and staff," the hospital wrote in the statement. "We will continue to work closely with federal, state and city health officials to address and monitor this case, keep the community informed and provide the best quality care to all of our patients."
So, no need to panic: officials are emphasizing that the hospital is following the CDC's protocol for just such a situation. "In this country, we are confident that we will not have significant spread of Ebola, even if we were to have a patient with Ebola here," CDC director Dr. Tom Friedan told reporters just last week. "We work actively to educate American health care workers on how to isolate patients and how to protect themselves against infection.
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