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First Ebola case diagnosed on US soil

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The first case of the deadly Ebola virus diagnosed on US soil has been

confirmed in Dallas, Texas.

Officials at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital say the unidentified

patient is being kept in isolation

The man is thought to have contracted the virus in Liberia before

travelling to the US nearly two weeks ago.

More than 3,000 people have already died of Ebola in West Africa and a

small number of US aid workers have recovered after being flown to the

US.

"An individual travelling from Liberia has been diagnosed with Ebola

in the United States," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Director Thomas Frieden told reporters on Tuesday.

According to Mr Frieden, the unnamed patient left Liberia on 19

September and arrived in the US the next day without displaying any

symptoms of the virus.

Symptoms of the virus became apparent on 24 September, and on 28

September he was admitted to a Texas hospital and put in isolation.

Preliminary information indicates the unnamed patient was not involved

in treating Ebola-infected patients while in Liberia.

Health officials are working to identify all people who came into

contact with the unnamed patient while he was infectious.

Those people will then be monitored for 21 days to see if an

Ebola-related fever develops.

"The bottom line here is I have no doubt that we will control this

importation, this case of Ebola, so it does not spread widely in this

country," Mr Frieden said. "We will stop it here."

The World Health Organization (WHO) says more than 3,000 people have

died of the virus so far, mostly in Liberia.

It is the world's most deadly outbreak of the virus.

Credit: BBC

Kofi Oppong Kyekyeku

I am a Ghanaian Broadcast Journalist/Writer who has an interest in General News, Sports, Entertainment, Health, Lifestyle and many more.

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