New York City health department officials say that a man that recently showed up in a New York hospital emergency room probably does not have the Ebola virus.
The man reported to Mount Sinai Hospital earlier this week, complaining of a high fever and gastrointestinal problems, both symptoms associated with Ebola. Concern grew when health officials learned that he recently visited a country in West Africa, where Ebola cases are rising. The hospital placed him in quarantine and tested him for signs of the virus.
"After consultation with CDC and Mount Sinai, the Health Department has concluded that the patient is unlikely to have Ebola," states the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. "Specimens are being tested for common causes of illness and to definitively exclude Ebola."
The Ebola virus is making headline news now, thanks to a recent outbreak in West Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirms that 887 people have already died there from the disease, with another 1,603 cases being reported.
Ebola is a highly virulent disease that is often fatal: 90 percent of Ebola cases end in death. It is transmitted by direct contact with blood, body fluids, and tissues of infected humans and animals. Most often at risk are health care workers and family members of those with the virus. Ebola symptoms may not occur until after 21 days after exposure to the virus. Once symptoms emerge, Ebola patients become contagious.
There is currently no treatment to cure Ebola, but some patients recover if the virus is caught early enough with the proper medical care.
This most recent outbreak is so severe that the travel industry, most notably airlines, are paying close attention to its details. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued warnings for Americans, advising them to avoid nonessential travel to West Africa.
"This is the biggest and most complex Ebola outbreak in history," says CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. "Far too many lives have been lost already,"
Meanwhile, the CDC has brought one Ebola-stricken American back to the U.S. A second American will be returning later today. Both are receiving an experimental serum, called ZMapp, which is a cocktail of antibodies that assume the role of the body's immune responses. According to some reports, at least one of the American patients treated with this new drug is seeing an improvement in symptoms.
