Ebola continues to be a concern for physicians across the world. Recently, a U.S. health care worker was exposed to the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone. And now, this worker has arrived at a Nebraska hospital for observation and potential treatment of the infection. The patient, who has not been identified, arrived at the Nebraska Medical Center's Biocontainment Unit this past Sunday, Jan. 4.
"Even though the patient hasn't had a positive test for Ebola, all of our team members are taking the same precautions that were taken with the first three patients who did have Ebola," spokesman for the hospital, Taylor Wilson says. "It's out of an abundance of caution that this approach is being used."
The patient will remain at the Nebraska Medical Center for the recommended 21-day observation period, and will be located in the same room that was used to treat three patients with Ebola: Dr. Richard Sacra, in September; NBC cameraman Ashoka Mukpo, in October; and Dr. Martin Salia, who died after less than two days of treatment in November.
The current Ebola outbreak is the largest in history, mostly affecting West African countries such as Guinea, Libera and Sierra Leone. According to the CDC and the World Health Organization, so far there have been more than 20,000 cases worldwide, with just over 8,000 deaths.
The Nebraska Medical Center has notified the CDC about the patient, but has yet to ask for its involvement. Should the Center request assistance, the CDC's role would be an advisory one, said CDC spokeswoman Kathy Harben.
"Our role in situations like this is that we consult about infection control during the whole process and then, of course, we're available to Nebraska Medical Center with any other questions they have," Harben said.
A team of experts assembled by Berlin's Robert Koch Institute, last week offered one theory on the source of the current epidemic: a 2-year-old boy who may have contracted Ebola from infected bats.
"The severe Ebola virus disease epidemic occurring in West Africa likely stems from a single zoonotic transmission event involving a 2â€yearâ€old boy in Meliandou, Guinea, who might have been infected by hunting or playing with insectivorous freeâ€tailed bats living in a nearby hollow tree," they write in the opening of their report.
That theory is based off of research and interviews with locals, who say children often played near the tree. Whatever the root cause of this Ebola outbreak, it has proven to be the worst in history, and physicians around the world continue to struggle to stay ahead of the virus.