The CDC says Ebola has not been widely spread in Nigeria, which so far has seen 20 cases, eight of them fatal

But officials later said that the illness is in fact malaria

A second person was admitted to Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Maryland with flu-like symptoms

An unnamed patient is being kept in

Two people in the Washington DC area were placed in isolation Friday after being admitted to hospitals with possible Ebola symptoms - but it later turned out one had malaria.

One of the patients, who had recently returned from Nigeria, was listed in a stable condition at Howard University Hospital in the capital, and is still a possible Ebola case.

Officials at the hospital said the patient is being kept in isolation, and the medical center has activated its infection control protocols ‘out of an abundance of caution.’

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Medical emergency: A patient exhibiting Ebola-like symptoms was admitted to Howard University Hospital in a stable condition

The unnamed patient was admitted overnight and recently traveled to Nigeria

‘Our medical team continues to evaluate and monitor progress in close collaboration with the CDC and the Department of Health,’ hospital spokesperson Kerry-Ann Hamilton in a statement to NBC Washington.

Dan Childs, ABC Managing Editor, Medical Unit, said that since Nigeria is no longer considered an Ebola 'hot spot,' the chances of the patient having the virus are fairly low,WJLA reported.

Meanwhile, on Friday afternoon another person was admitted at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Montgomery County, Maryland, suffering from symptoms consistent with the deadly virus.

Officials at the clinic said in a statement the patent had ‘flu-like symptoms and a travel history that matches criteria for possible Ebola' - but later changed their diagnosis.

A statement today from the hospital said: 'Following further tests, monitoring and consultations with infectious disease experts, our medical team has determined that the patient in our care has malaria and does not have Ebola.'

Quarantine: A second patient was a admitted at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Montgomery County, Maryland, suffering from flu-like symptoms consistent with the deadly virus - but it was later decided the patient is a malaria victim instead

(L-R) AFRICOM Commander, U.S Army General David Rodriguez, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco, U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Raj Shah, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Anthony Fauci and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell hold a briefing on the Ebola crisis

Waiting game: Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell (center) said during a press conference Friday that she is awaiting tests results from Howard University Hospital

During a press conference held by senior Obama administration officials at the White House on the Ebola crisis Friday evening, Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell briefly addressed the possible case at Howard University Hospital.

'In regards to the Nigeria case, [I] haven't seen the results of the tests yet, and I think that is the most definitive thing and the most important thing,’ Burwell told reporters.

’And what you see is people taking precautions because the symptoms are malarial but they could be this [Ebola].'

The news comes just days after the first case of the potentially deadly disease on US soil was confirmed in Dallas, Texas.

The 2014 Ebola epidemic, described by the CDC as the largest in history, has been ravaging West Africa for the past several months, claiming more than 3,300 lives to date.

Modern scourge: The 2014 Ebola epidemic, described by the CDC as the largest in history, has been ravaging West Africa for the past several months, claiming more than 3,300 lives to date

Health crisis: The 2014 Ebola epidemic, described by the CDC as the largest in history, has been ravaging West Africa for the past several months

Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have been hit the hardest by this latest epidemic, reporting 7,157 cases - nearly half of them resulting in deaths.

According to the CDC, the virus has not been widely spread in Nigeria, which so far has seen 20 cases, eight of them fatal.

In the US, Thomas Eric Duncan, a native of Liberia, has become the first person to be diagnosed with the illness after returning last month from the Ebola-stricken country, where he had reportedly come in contact with a sick pregnant woman.

Mr Duncan currently remains in the quarantine unit at Texas Presbyterian Hospital in critical but stable condition. His family are being kept in isolation in their apartment.

Health officials in Dallas are now reaching out to some 100 people who had possible contact with Duncan since his arrival in Dallas via Brussels on September 20.

On Thursday, it was reported that an American cameraman covering the Ebola crisis for NBC in Liberia has tested positive for the virus.

Ashoka Mukpo, 33, will be flown back to the United States for treatment Sunday. He had quarantined himself in Liberia after discovering he had a fever, according to NBC

Americans at risk: Thomas Eric Duncan (left) has become the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the US after returning from Liberia. On Thursday, NBC cameraman Ashoka Mukpo (right) was diagnosed with the illness while covering the health crisis in the African country

'Obviously he's scared and worried,' his father, Dr. Mitchell Levy, told NBC Friday. 'He's been filming what's happening in Liberia for two weeks and seeing the death and tragedy, and now it's really hit home for him.'

Symptoms of Ebola may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to the virus, but the average is 8 to 10 days.

Patients suffering the illness may experience high fever, severe headache and muscle pain, diarrhea and vomiting, abdominal pain and unexplained bleeding.

Ebola is spread through direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids, and objects that have been contaminated with the virus.