New York City firefighters have been banned from using the word 'Ebola' on their radios in because it could trigger panic in the city.

A New York Fire Department (FDNY) memo instructs all personnel to use vaguer terms when referring to the deadly virus.

Instead, they should use the code letters 'F/T', as in Fever/Travel, over the radio to indicate a 911 caller has a fever and a history of travel to West Africa.

New York City firefighters have been forbidden from using the word 'Ebola' as it may cause widespread panic

The secret code is intended to hide any potential cases of Ebola from members of the public or media who are monitoring emergency radio channels.

'Just like you can’t say bomb on an airplane, we can’t say "Ebola", a source told the New York Post.

'Back in the ’80s and ’90s, taking universal precautions meant someone has AIDS. And we weren’t allowed to say AIDS either.'

President Barack Obama has vowed his administration will be more aggressive in fighting Ebola, which has triggered a major health scare in the United States after one man died from the virus last month and two nurses who treated him have been confirmed as infected.

Liberian man Thomas Eric Duncan died in Dallas after returning from Africa, and two nurses who treated him contracted the disease despite taking precautionary measures.

Amber Vinson (left) and Nina Pham (right) both cared for Thomas Eric Duncan and both have been diagnosed with Ebola

It is still unclear how Amber Vinson and the other infected nurse, Nina Pham, contracted the virus.

Both wore face shields, hazardous materials suits and protective footwear as they drew blood and dealt with Mr Duncan's body fluids.

Health officials are now seeking to trace 132 people who flew on a plane with Ms Vinson the day before she fell ill.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it wanted to interview the passengers on Frontier Airlines flight 1143 from Cleveland, Ohio, to Dallas, Texas on Monday.

Despite the two nurses contracting the virus, officials in New York are confident that first responders can treat potential patients without falling ill.

The ambulance carrying Ms Vinson, the second health care worker to be diagnosed with Ebola in Texas, arrived at the Emory University Hospital, in Atlanta, yesterday

HOW TO AVOID GETTING EBOLA Avoid direct contact with sick patients as the virus is spread through contaminated body fluids Wear goggles to protect eyes Clothing and clinical waste should be incinerated and any medical equipment that needs to be kept should be decontaminated People who recover from Ebola should abstain from sex or use condoms for three months Advertisement

FDNY medics who respond to at-risk patients have been told to wear polyethylene-coated paper gowns, gloves and face masks with plastic eye visors, officials said.

Officials were given a memo laying out a 19-step process for putting on and then safely removing and disposing of their protective gowns and gloves.

The FDNY also has a dozen elite 'Haztec' workers in each borough designated to deal with potential Ebola patients who are vomiting, bleeding or suffering diarrhea, sources said.

They are equipped with $2,000 in special protective gear and would provide transport to a hospital.

'Haztec' workers have been equipped with $2,000 in protective gear and would provide transport to hospitals

Most patients would go to Bellevue Hospital, where up to 20 isolation rooms are available.

So far, the disease has killed about 4,500 people, mostly in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Patients tend to die from multiple organ failure or dehydration.