If you thought the world’s latest health scare was on its way to being permanently eradicated in the United States, think again. A doctor who recently returned from West Africa has just tested positive for Ebola.
Reports KTLA 5:
The doctor, identified as Craig Spencer, 33, returned from West Africa about 10 days ago and developed a fever, nausea, pain and fatigue Wednesday night.
The 33-year-old physician, employed at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, developed a fever, nausea, pain and fatigue Wednesday night, a law enforcement official briefed on the matter told CNN. On Thursday morning, he was taken to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan for testing.
At a news conference Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio sought to allay public concerns about the spread of the deadly virus, saying that “careful protocols were followed every step of the way” in the city’s handling of the case. The doctor has “worked closely” with health officials, the mayor said.
The doctor exhibited symptoms of the Ebola virus for “a very brief period of time” and had direct contact with “very few people” in New York, de Blasio told reporters.
“The important thing to remember here is, until we have full information, we can’t draw conclusions,” de Blasio said. “So we want to be careful not to make assumptions until all the testing is done.”
Columbia Presbyterian Hospital firmly vouched for Spencer’s meritorious service, calling him “a committed and responsible physician who always puts his patients first.” Doctors Without Borders, the organization he had been working with in Guinea said all of their personnel had received regular health monitoring as well.
That still doesn’t bode well for the sense of nervousness set to grip the biggest city in the world.
Related: Don’t Panic: 10 Need-To-Know Facts About Ebola
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Photo: Linkedin/Craig Spencer
