UPDATE: Patient with exposure to Ebola arrives safely at NIH Clinical Center

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A patient with exposure to the Ebola virus while in Sierra Leone has arrived safely at the NIH Clinical Center for observation and to enroll in a clinical protocol. The patient was transferred from an overseas location via private charter medevac in isolation and admitted to the NIH Clinical Center at approximately 12:42 p.m. EST.

The patient is an American nurse who was volunteering services in an Ebola treatment unit 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.

No additional details about the patient are being shared at this time.

NIH is taking every precaution to ensure the safety of our patients, NIH staff, and the public. This situation presents minimal risk to any of them.

For more information about clinical protocols, visit: http://www.nih.gov/health/clinicaltrials/basics.htm

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health®

NOTE

Please note correction on time of admittance: On December 11, 2014 the time the patient arrived at NIH was updated to 12:42 p.m. EST.

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Patient with exposure to Ebola to be admitted at NIH Clinical Center

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Later today, the National Institutes of Health expects to admit a patient with exposure to the Ebola virus to the NIH Clinical Center’s special clinical studies unit for observation and to enroll in a clinical protocol. The patient is an American nurse who was volunteering services in an Ebola treatment unit in Sierra Leone.

The special clinical studies unit 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. In addition, access to the unit will be strictly controlled.

No additional details about the patient are being shared at this time.

NIH is taking every precaution to ensure the safety of our patients, NIH staff, and the public. This situation presents minimal risk to any of them.

NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health®

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