The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is conducting contact tracing of individuals in Sierra Leone, including several other American citizens, following the evacuation to the U.S. of an American healthcare worker for treatment of Ebola virus disease (EVD).
The EVD patient was admitted today to the NIH Clinical Center for care and treatment.
At this time, none of the individuals identified to have had contact with the index patient have tested positive for Ebola. These individuals are volunteers in the Ebola response and are currently being monitored in Sierra Leone.
One of the American citizens in Sierra Leone had potential exposure to the individual being treated at NIH and is currently being transported via charter to the Atlanta area to be close to Emory University Hospital. The individual has not shown symptoms of Ebola and has not been diagnosed with Ebola.
Upon arrival in Atlanta, the individual will voluntarily self-isolate and be under direct active monitoring for the 21-day incubation period.
Out of an abundance of caution, CDC and the State Department are developing contingency plans for returning those Americans with potential exposure to the U.S. by non-commercial air transport, according to a CDC statement.