NEW YORK – The first case of Ebola may have arrived in New York City.
Officials said a doctor who recently returned from West Africa was undergoing tests for the Ebola virus at Bellevue Hospital after developing a fever and other symptoms. The organization Doctors Without Borders said the doctor had treated patients in West Africa.
The New York Times reported that preliminary results showed he tested positive for the Ebola virus and identified the patient as Craig Spencer.
Health officials are re-tracing his steps to determine who he may have come in contact with before and after showing symptoms.
Spencer is on the staff at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, which released a statement on Thursday night saying "he has not been to work at our hospital and has not seen any patients at our hospital since his return from overseas."
The patient, returned to the United States within the past 21 days from one of the countries facing the Ebola outbreak, according to the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, which operates the public hospitals and clinics in the city.
Meanwhile, New York City Health Department's team of disease detectives have begun tracing all of the patient's contacts to identify anyone who may be at potential risk.
A spokesperson at Bellevue Hospital told USA Today hospital officials would not comment.
Officials tried to reassure city residents.
"New York City is taking all necessary precautions to ensure the health and safety of all New Yorkers," a statement posted on the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation's website said. "The chances of the average New Yorker contracting Ebola are extremely slim. 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."
Contributing: William M. Welch
