A New York City doctor who traveled with Doctors Without Borders to treat Ebola patients in Guinea is being evaluated at Bellevue Hospital after experiencing a high fever and gastrointestinal symptoms.



While 33-year-old Craig Spencer started to feel sluggish on Tuesday, he didn't develop a fever until Thursday morning, according to The New York Times. As of Thursday around 5:30 p.m., the patient was in "good shape," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters.

"Our understanding is that very few people were in direct contact with him,” de Blasio said.

There are conflicting accounts about whether Craig quarantined himself after his return from Africa 10 days ago. The New York Daily News reported that he confined himself to his Harlem apartment after he got a fever.

However, CNN's Vaughn Sterling tweeted that he "didn't self-quarantine" and that he took an Uber to a Brooklyn bowling alley on Wednesday.

A photo of Craig Spencer. Facebook Just before noon on Thursday, emergency medical workers rushed into Spencer's 147th Street apartment and took the doctor to the hospital in an exposure suit. Spencer, who had a 103-degree fever, is being tested for Ebola and other diseases, the city's health department said. Results from the Ebola test are expected within 12 hours, meaning they will likely come in the early morning hours on Friday.

Meanwhile, the "disease detectives" within the city's health department are looking at everybody Spencer has had contact with to determine who might be at risk. He works at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, which is affiliated with Columbia University, according to a LinkedIn profile that appears to belong to him.

The city and state of New York have designated Bellevue as a hospital equipped to isolate, identify, and treat potential Ebola patients.

The city cautioned that "the chances of the average New Yorker contracting Ebola are extremely slim." Ebola is spread through bodily fluids, objects that have been infected with the virus (like syringes), and bats or primates that are infected with the virus.

To put things in perspective, as of Oct. 6, New York City had already investigated 88 potential cases of Ebola, according to the CDC. The New York City health department is handing out information cards to the residents of Spencer's building.

NYC Health Dpt handing fact cards to tenants of W147th bldg where possible #ebola patient lives. #1010wins pic.twitter.com/ttJ9dzVKXD — Al Jones (@aljoneswins) October 23, 2014

Doctors Without Borders issued this statement on Spencer.

Here's a statement from the city of New York:

Today, EMS HAZ TAC Units transferred to Bellevue Hospital a patient who presented a fever and gastrointestinal symptoms.

The patient is a health care worker who returned to the U.S. within the past 21 days from one of the three countries currently facing the outbreak of this virus.

The patient was transported by a specially trained HAZ TAC unit wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). After consulting with the hospital and the CDC, DOHMH has decided to conduct a test for the Ebola virus because of this patient’s recent travel history, pattern of symptoms, and past work. DOHMH and HHC are also evaluating the patient for other causes of illness, as these symptoms can also be consistent with salmonella, malaria, or the stomach flu.

Bellevue Hospital is designated for the isolation, identification and treatment of potential Ebola patients by the City and State. New York City is taking all necessary precautions to ensure the health and safety of all New Yorkers.

As a further precaution, beginning today, the Health Department’s team of disease detectives immediately began to actively trace all of the patient’s contacts to identify anyone who may be at potential risk. The Health Department staff has established protocols to identify, notify, and, if necessary, quarantine any contacts of Ebola cases.

The Health Department is also working closely with HHC leadership, Bellevue's clinical team and the New York State Department of Health to ensure that all staff caring for the patient do so while following the utmost safety guidelines and protocols.

Bellevue and the New York State Department of Health to ensure that all staff caring for the patient do so while following the utmost safety guidelines and protocols.

The chances of the average New Yorker contracting Ebola are extremely slim. Ebola is spread by directly touching the bodily fluids of an infected person. You cannot be infected simply by being near someone who has Ebola.