TPM is reporting that 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).