Bellevue Hospital Center in New York City is treating the fourth Ebola patient diagnosed in the U.S., a physician who returned last week after treating Ebola patients in West Africa and tested positive for the virus Thursday.
Here are five things to know about the latest diagnosis.
1. Craig Spencer, MD, 33, reported a 100.3-degree fever and gastrointestinal problems to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene around midday Thursday. Dr. Spencer quarantined himself inside his apartment and was transported to Bellevue, one of eight hospitals that New York state officials designated to handle suspected Ebola cases, according to the Wall Street Journal. It was reported that no healthcare workers at Bellevue have opted out of treating Mr. Spencer, even though they had the option of doing so.
2. While Dr. Spencer was isolated at Bellevue, city health officials began retracing every step the physician took over the past several days by interviewing him and tracking his credit card and MetroCard use. Dr. Spencer returned to New York City through John F. Kennedy International Airport on Oct. 17. Authorities are monitoring the four people he came into close contact with — two friends, a cabdriver and his fiancée. None of these individuals are showing symptoms at the time, but the friends and fiancée are quarantined
3. Dr. Spencer is reported to have traveled on two different subway lines, went to a bowling alley and rode in a taxi on Wednesday evening, the night before he reported his symptoms. People infected with Ebola cannot spread the disease until they begin to display symptoms. Mary Bassett, MD, city health commissioner, said Dr. Spencer did not have a stage of disease that creates a risk of contagiousness on the subway. "We consider it extremely unlikely, the probability being close to nil, that there will be any problem related to his taking the subway system," she said, according to the New York Times.
4. Dr. Spencer is the ninth patient to receive Ebola treatment in the U.S. Two others are currently receiving treatment. Both nurses, Nina Pham and Amber Vinson, contracted the virus after caring for Thomas Duncan, the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the United States who died Oct. 8. Ms. Pham is receiving treatment at the National Institutes of Health and Ms. Vinson at Emory University Hospital. Since August, five other patients have recovered from Ebola and been discharged from U.S. hospitals.
5. Dr. Spencer is a staff physician at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. Since he returned, he has not seen any patients, according to the WSJ report.