New York City hospital testing patient for possible Ebola infection

(MountSinaiHealth.org)

Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City is testing a patient who recently traveled to a West African country affected by the Ebola outbreak, the hospital said in a statement Monday afternoon.

The male patient arrived at the emergency room Monday morning with a high fever and gastrointestinal symptoms. He has been quarantined to undergo medical screening.

"Odds are that this is not Ebola," Chief Medical Officer for Mount Sinai, Jeremy Boal said in a press conference held at the Upper East Side hospital early Monday evening.

To be certain, blood samples from the patient have been sent to the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta for testing, with results likely in the next 24-48 hours, Boal said.

Mount Sinai is following protocol recommended just last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"All necessary steps are being taken to ensure the safety of all patients, visitors and staff. We will continue to work closely with federal, state and city health officials to address and monitor this case, keep the community informed and provide the best quality care to all of our patients," the hospital said in a statement.

CDC officials told Fox News correspondent John Roberts that there have been “a half dozen or so” so-called “Persons Under Investigation” in the U.S. for possible Ebola infection and that they have all turned out to be negative.

One of those was at Carolina Medical Center a little more than a week ago.