The as-yet unidentified patient is located in Dallas, officials say, effectively confirming a statement issued on Monday by Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas. The organization said that an unnamed patient was being tested for Ebola and had been placed in "strict isolation" due to the patient's symptoms and recent travel history.
In a press conference, CDC Director Tom Frieden said the patient in question had been traveling in Liberia, where he may have contracted the disease. He returned to the United States on the 20th of September, after which he sought care.
Frieden attempted to assuage concerns about Ebola's contagious effect, saying that the virus was only spread through direct contact, and was not airborne. He vowed that officials would contain a potential spread.
"It is certainly possible that someone who had contact with this individual...could develop Ebola in the coming weeks," Frieden said, but added that "there is no doubt in my mind that we will stop it here," Frieden said.
In response to a question, Frieden added that "a handful" of people, including family members, may have been exposed to the patient prior to his seeking treatment.
In early September, four U.S. aid workers treating the outbreak in Africa were diagnosed there, and transported back to the U.S. for treatment after falling ill. This case, however, is the first known in which a citizen was stricken by the virus and diagnosed domestically.
The recent outbreak is widely considered by experts to be the deadliest in history. In recent days, global health professionals have warned that the strain of Ebola was becoming more virulent, and that governments around the world needed to step up their response. The World Health Organization has estimated that at least 3,000 have died since the first outbreak was identified in Guinea six months ago, and more than 6,500 cases have been confirmed.
Source: http://www.cnbc.com
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