Healthcare Worker Taken To NYC Hospital To Be Tested For Ebola

An ambulance transporting Nancy Writebol, an American missionary stricken with Ebola, arrives at Emory University Hospital, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014, in Atlanta. Writebol is expected to be admitted to Emory University H... An ambulance transporting Nancy Writebol, an American missionary stricken with Ebola, arrives at Emory University Hospital, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014, in Atlanta. Writebol is expected to be admitted to Emory University Hospital on Tuesday, where she will join another U.S. aid worker, Dr. Kent Brantly, in a special isolation unit. (AP Photo/David Goldman) MORE LESS
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A healthcare worker was admitted on Thursday to Bellevue Hospital in New York City to be tested for the Ebola virus, according to the New York City Department of Health.

In a statement on its website, the department said the patient had recently traveled in one of the three West African countries facing an outbreak of the virus (Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.)

The individual was transferred to Bellevue by a specially trained team equipped with hazmat suits. Tests were expected to be back within 12 hours, according to the statement.

The patient exhibited “fever and gastrointestinal symptoms,” according to the health department. Taken together with the recent travel history, the city decided to test the healthcare worker for Ebola after consulting with Bellevue and the Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Doctors were “also evaluating the patient for other causes of illness, as these symptoms can also be consistent with salmonella, malaria, or the stomach flu,” the statement read.

The health department also began to track down the patient’s contacts “to identify anyone who may be at potential risk.”

This post has been updated.

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