U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH News
National Institutes of Health (NIH) <http://www.nih.gov>
For Immediate Release: Friday, March 13, 2015
CONTACT: NIH Office of Communications, 301-496-5787, <e-mail:nmb@xxxxxxxxxx>
UPDATE: AMERICAN HEALTHCARE WORKER WITH EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE ARRIVES SAFELY AT NIH CLINICAL CENTER
An American healthcare worker who tested positive for Ebola virus while volunteering services in an Ebola treatment unit in Sierra Leone has arrived safely at the NIH Clinical Center for care and treatment. The individual was transferred from Sierra Leone via private charter medevac in isolation and admitted to the NIH Clinical Center at 4:44 a.m. ET. The patient's condition is still being evaluated. No additional details about the patient are being shared at this time.
The patient has been admitted to the NIH Clinical Center's Special Clinical Studies Unit (SCSU) 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 is taking every precaution to ensure the safety of our patients, NIH staff, and the public.
This will be the second patient with Ebola virus disease admitted to the NIH Clinical Center. An earlier patient was treated successfully and released free of disease. The NIH Clinical Center also previously admitted two individuals who experienced high-risk exposures to the Ebola virus while working on the Ebola response in West Africa, but who were ultimately found not to be infected.
For more information about the NIH Clinical Centers (SCSU), including photos and b-roll, please visit: <http://www.cc.nih.gov/ebola.html>. For more information about clinical protocols, visit: <http://www.nih.gov/health/clinicaltrials/basics.htm>.
About the NIH Clinical Center: The NIH Clinical Center is the clinical research hospital for the National Institutes of Health. Through clinical research, clinician-investigators translate laboratory discoveries into better treatments, therapies and interventions to improve the nation's health. More information: <http://clinicalcenter.nih.gov>.
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 -- Registered, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
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The web version of this news release contains an image of the NIH Clinical Center <http://www.nih.gov/news/health/mar2015/images/nih-12_xl.jpg>.
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