CDC Confirms First Infected Ebola Patient in the USA

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed the first case of Ebola in a patient diagnosed in a U.S. hospital earlier today.

The infected patient, who has been isolated since his symptoms were recognized, is an unnamed man at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. As of right now, it is not known if he has exposed others to the virus.

Healthcare workers noted the patients case because of his symptoms and recent travel history.

Ebola patients are only contagious once they begin showing symptoms, such as fever, diarrhea and vomiting. Someone with these symptoms could infect healthcare workers, such as working in an emergency room. However, the virus is only spread through contact with bodily fluids, such as blood or vomit, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Infectious disease experts say that Ebola is unlikely to spread very far in the USA due to stringent infection control measures in place at American hospitals.

Ebola has infected 6,553 people and has killed 3,083 in the three countries hit hardest by the epidemic, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The number of cases being seen in Africa has been multiplying every three to four weeks, and the CDC estimates that the disease could affect up to 1.4 million people by January if it's not quickly put under control.

Source: CBSNews.com