A doctor in New York City who recently returned from treating Ebola patients in Guinea tested positive for the Ebola virus on Thursday, becoming the city's first diagnosed case.
People infected with Ebola cannot spread the disease until they begin to display symptoms, and it cannot be spread through the air. As people become sicker, the viral load in the body builds, and they become more and more contagious.
Police officers guard the building where Dr Craig Spencer lives in New York (Reuters Photo)
Dr Spencer's travel history and the timing of the onset of his symptoms led health officials to dispatch disease detectives, who "immediately began to actively trace all of the patient's contacts to identify anyone who may be at potential risk," according to a statement released by the department.
It was unclear if the city was trying to find people who might have come into contact with Dr Spencer on the subway. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority directed all questions to the health department, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the issue.
The missteps by both local and federal authorities in handling the nation's first Ebola case raised questions about the ability of health care workers to safely treat those with the disease.
In the New York City region, hospitals and emergency workers have been preparing for the appearance of the virus for months.
Dr Irwin Redlener, the director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University and a special adviser to Mayor de Blasio, said that the risk to the general public was minimal, but depended on a city moving swiftly.
People infected with Ebola cannot spread the disease until they begin to display symptoms, and it cannot be spread through the air. As people become sicker, the viral load in the body builds, and they become more and more contagious.
Police officers guard the building where Dr Craig Spencer lives in New York (Reuters Photo)
Dr Spencer's travel history and the timing of the onset of his symptoms led health officials to dispatch disease detectives, who "immediately began to actively trace all of the patient's contacts to identify anyone who may be at potential risk," according to a statement released by the department.
It was unclear if the city was trying to find people who might have come into contact with Dr Spencer on the subway. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority directed all questions to the health department, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the issue.
The missteps by both local and federal authorities in handling the nation's first Ebola case raised questions about the ability of health care workers to safely treat those with the disease.
In the New York City region, hospitals and emergency workers have been preparing for the appearance of the virus for months.
Dr Irwin Redlener, the director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University and a special adviser to Mayor de Blasio, said that the risk to the general public was minimal, but depended on a city moving swiftly.
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