A 5-year-old boy being treated at a New York City hospital after traveling to West Africa has tested negative for the Ebola virus, health officials said Monday.
A joint statement released Monday afternoon by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp. said the patient tested negative, but was going to continue to be monitored and remain in isolation for any subsequent signs of illness.
“Out of an abundance of caution, further negative Ebola tests are required on subsequent days to ensure that the patient is cleared,” the statement read. “The patient will also be tested for common respiratory viruses. The patient will remain in isolation until all test results have returned.”
The patient was transferred to Bellevue Hospital Center Sunday night after exhibiting symptoms consistent with the disease. Health officials said the child developed a fever while under observation at the hospital on Monday morning around 7 a.m., and was subsequently tested for the virus.
A special hazard unit wearing personal protective equipment transported the child to the hospital, where he was placed in isolation. According to the city's health department, a team of disease detectives has begun the process of tracing all of the patient's contacts to identify those at potential risk. Those identified will be subject to quarantine for 21 days to ensure they are not infected.
“The health department staff has established protocols to identify, notify, and, if necessary, quarantine any contacts of Ebola cases,” according to a department statement.
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