NIH to admit American healthcare worker with Ebola virus disease

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) expects to admit to its hospital tomorrow an American healthcare worker who has tested positive for Ebola virus disease. The individual was volunteering services in an Ebola treatment unit in Sierra Leone and will be transported back to the United States in isolation via a chartered aircraft. The individual will be admitted and treated at the NIH Clinical Center Special Clinical Studies Unit, a high-level containment facility which is one of a small number of such facilities in the United States. No additional details about the patient are being shared at this time.

The NIH Clinical Center’s Special Clinical Studies Unit (SCSU) is specifically designed to provide high-level isolation capabilities and is staffed by infectious diseases and critical care specialists. The unit staff is trained in strict infection control practices optimized to prevent spread of potentially transmissible agents such as Ebola. In addition, access to the unit is strictly controlled. NIH is taking every precaution to ensure the safety of our patients, NIH staff, and the public.

This will be the second patient with Ebola virus disease admitted to the NIH Clinical Center. An earlier patient was treated successfully and released free of disease. The NIH Clinical Center also admitted two individuals who experienced high-risk exposures to the Ebola virus while working on the Ebola response in West Africa, but who were ultimately found not to be infected.

For more information about the NIH Clinical Centers (SCSU), including photos and b-roll, please visit: http://www.cc.nih.gov/ebola.html. For more information about clinical protocols, visit: http://www.nih.gov/health/clinicaltrials/basics.htm.

About the NIH Clinical Center: The NIH Clinical Center is the clinical research hospital for the National Institutes of Health. Through clinical research, clinician-investigators translate laboratory discoveries into better treatments, therapies and interventions to improve the nation's health. More information: http://clinicalcenter.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

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