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DALLAS — Federal health officials on Tuesday confirmed the first case of Ebola diagnosed in the U.S., a patient who recently travelled from Liberia to Dallas and a sign of the far-reaching impact of the out-of-control epidemic in West Africa.

The unidentified patient was critically ill and has been in isolation at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital since Sunday, officials said.

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Health authorities have begun tracking down family and friends who may have had close contact with the patient and could be at risk for becoming ill. But officials said there are no other suspected cases in Texas.

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At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Tom Frieden said the patient left Liberia on Sept. 19, arrived the next day to visit family and started feeling ill four or five days later. He said it was not clear how the person became infected.

Frieden said there was no risk to anyone on the airplane because the patient had no symptoms at the time of the flight.