Washington (AFP) - A
patient with symptoms that could be associated with the deadly Ebola
virus and a recent travel history to Nigeria was admitted Friday to a
Washington-area hospital, a spokeswoman told AFP.
"We can
confirm that a patient has been admitted to Howard University Hospital
in stable condition, following travel to Nigeria and presenting with
symptoms that could be associated with Ebola," said Howard University
spokeswoman Kerry-Ann Hamilton.
"In an abundance of caution, we have activated the appropriate infection control protocols, including isolating the patient."
No further details were released about the patient.
Symptoms of Ebola can include fever, aches and pains, vomiting and diarrhea.
The virus is spread through close contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.
The
first diagnosed case of Ebola in the United States was announced on
Tuesday, after a man from Liberia who had traveled to Texas fell ill
days after he arrived.Nigeria is one of five West African nations that have battled Ebola this year, but has had fewer than two dozen cases and as many as eight deaths linked to the arrival of a sick airline passenger from Liberia, far less than the thousands of infections in neighboring countries.
Nigeria's president declared the nation Ebola-free at a UN meeting late last month.
US
and global health authorities have said Nigeria was near to being able
to announce an end to the outbreak there, which can only be established
once 42 days have passed since the last infection.
More
than 3,300 people have died across Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea,
Nigeria and Senegal already this year, in the world's largest outbreak
of Ebola in history.
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