Another Doctor Exposed to Ebola Arrives in U.S. for Treatment

The National Institutes of Health in Maryland is treating an American doctor who was exposed to the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone.

The patient arrived in the United States on Sunday afternoon and is being enrolled "in a clinical protocol," NIH said.

NIH is not identifying the patient, only saying in a statement that it is "an American doctor who was volunteering services at an Ebola clinic in Sierra Leone."

Out of an abundance of caution, the patient has been admitted to the NIH Clinical Center’s special clinical studies unit that is specifically designed to provide high-level isolation capabilities and is staffed by infectious diseases and critical care specialists. The unit staff is trained in strict infection control practices optimized to prevent spread of potentially transmissible agents such as Ebola."

NIH spokesmen told The Wire on Monday morning that there were no additional details or updates on the patient's condition.

Two American aid workers were previously treated for Ebola at Emory University in Atlanta and discharged last month. President Obama met with one of those patients, Dr. Kent Brantly, at the White House earlier in September.

In its latest update on Friday, the World Health Organization said 3,083 people had died of Ebola during the outbreak in west Africa and 6,553 cases had been reported.

(Image via addingt/Shutterstock.com)