A doctor who recently returned from Guinea has tested positive for Ebola -- the first case of the deadly virus in New York City and the fourth diagnosed in the United States, CNN reported.
Dr. Spencer had been working with Doctors Without Borders in Guinea, treating Ebola patients, before leaving Africa on Oct. 14 and returning to New York City on Oct. 17, according to a city official.
The patient was in stable condition on Friday, according to officials. The moment he was given a diagnosis, a discussion began about how best to treat him. Nearly all the patients treated in the US have received some form of experimental treatment and doctors were discussing what, if any, of those they will use. Doctors at Bellevue are consulting with experts at Emory University Hospital and the University of Nebraska Medical Center, both of which have successfully treated Ebola patients.
In other cases, victims have received plasma from the blood of an Ebola survivor in the hopes that antibodies in the blood of an Ebola victim may help fight the virus.
A 30-member US military team that could be called on to respond to new cases of Ebola in the US has started specialized training at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. The weeklong training includes infection control and how to use personal protective gear.
The EU will increase its aid to help fight Ebola by $380 million to $1.2 billion, EU head Herman Van Rompuy said Friday.
It had pledged 700 million euro and boosted its pledge to 1 billion euro to fight Ebola in West Africa.
A total of 9,911 confirmed or probable cases, and 4,868 deaths have been reported in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, the World Health Organization said. Every district in Sierra Leone has reported at least one case.
