NYC hospital tests doctor who had been to West Africa for Ebola

A doctor who recently returned to the United States from West Africa was rushed to a hospital in New York City on Thursday and is being tested for Ebola, hospital officials said.

The 33-year-old man — who had a fever and was experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms — was transported from his Harlem apartment by emergency workers in hazmat gear to Bellevue Hospital Center, which this week was designated by health officials to be used "for the isolation, identification and treatment of potential Ebola patients."

Preliminary test results are expected later Thursday.

According to WABC-TV, the health worker had quarantined himself since returning to New York City from Guinea, where there have been 1,540 cases of Ebola and 904 deaths since the outbreak began.

In a statement, the hospital said it is working closely with the city and state health departments "to ensure that all staff caring for the patient do so while following the utmost safety guidelines and protocols."

The hospital said it is also evaluating the patient for other causes of illness, including salmonella, malaria or stomach flu.

Additionally, the city's "team of disease detectives immediately began to actively trace all of the patient’s contacts to identify anyone who may be at potential risk."

If he tests positive, the health care worker would be the fourth person to be diagnosed with Ebola on U.S. soil. The first, Thomas Eric Duncan, a 41-year-old Liberian man, died from the disease earlier this month. Two Dallas nurses who treated Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital became infected with the virus, sparking renewed fears that the outbreak — which has killed thousands in West Africa — could spread to other parts of the country.

On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention debuted new safety standards for New York City health care workers — recommending that everyone treating an Ebola patient be fully covered and wear two pairs of gloves and a special mask.

“All of us are scared,” Arjun Srinivasan, a CDC official, said at the event, which was attended by thousands of the city's health care workers. “It’s OK to be afraid.”

"The chances of the average New Yorker contracting Ebola are extremely slim," the hospital said. "Ebola is spread by directly touching the bodily fluids of an infected person. You cannot be infected simply by being near someone who has Ebola."

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