A patient at a New York City hospital who recently returned from West Africa complaining of symptoms similar to those of the Ebola virus has tested negative for the disease, officials said on Wednesday, reported the New York Times.
The unidentified patient was kept in strict isolation at Mount Sinai Hospital after he arrived at the emergency room late Sunday with a high fever and gastrointestinal problems. Doctors were concerned that the city might have its first case of the deadly disease, however, even before tests were conducted, health officials had stated that the patient was unlikely to have Ebola.
On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a statement saying that the patient had tested negative for the Ebola virus.
“The patient is in stable condition, is improving, and remains in the care of our physicians and nurses,” the statement said.
The World Health Organization announced that the worst Ebola outbreak in history has killed at least 932 people in four West African countries, reported the Washington Post.
The WHO also said Wednesday that it will convene a panel next week to discuss the ethical use of experimental Ebola drugs to combat the outbreak that is ravaging Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea and has now spread into Nigeria, too.
