Howard University Hospital in Washington has admitted a patient with symptoms "that could be associated with Ebola," hospital spokeswoman Kerry-Ann Hamilton said Friday.
The patient, who was not named, recently traveled to Nigeria and presented with the symptoms upon his or her return, she said. The patient is in stable condition.
"In an abundance of caution, we have activated the appropriate infection control protocols, including isolating the patient," Hamilton said.
"Our medical team continues to evaluate and monitor progress in close collaboration with the CDC and the Department of Health."
The news comes four days after the first Ebola patient to be diagnosed in the United States was put in isolation at a hospital in Texas.
Thomas Eric Duncan was hospitalized days after his arrival from Liberia. The deadly virus has killed more than 3,300 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Duncan landed in Dallas on September 20 and started feeling sick several days later. He went to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital on September 26 with a fever and abdominal pain, hospital officials say. He was sent home with antibiotics but returned in an ambulance two days later, when he was admitted and placed in isolation.
On September 30, a blood test confirmed Duncan had Ebola. He remains at the hospital in serious but stable condition, health officials say.
On Friday, Dallas County Health and Human Services director Zachary Thompson told CNN's "New Day" that the Ebola situation in the city is "under control".
"It is contained," Thompson said. The Ebola patient's "family is being monitored. There is no outbreak. And so therefore everyone should ease their fears and allow public health officials … to respond to this issue."
Cleanup delayed
Duncan was in Dallas visiting his son and his son's mother, his half-brother, Wilfred Smallwood, said.
Duncan's partner, who asked to be referred to only by her first name, Louise, along with her son and two nephews in their 20s, are in isolation at the apartment, which still has the sheets, clothes and towels Duncan used.
A plan to sanitize the apartment was delayed late Thursday.
Brad Smith of the Cleaning Guys, which was hired to sanitize the apartment, said his company is ready to go but a permit issue has stopped them from entering the home. Smith says a specialized permit, which is handled by the state government, is needed to transport this type of unprecedented hazardous waste on Texas highways. Cleaning Guys specializes in hazmat and biohazard cleaning services, but it does not transport the materials.
Ebola can spread through contact with an infected person's bodily fluids like blood, feces or vomit. CDC spokeswoman Abbigail Tumpey says the CDC considers materials contaminated with Ebola as regular medical waste, and as such, can be disposed of as medical waste. But she said the Department of Transportation considers Ebola to be a Category A agent, which means it’s illegal to transport.
"The CDC and the DOT regulations have been in conflict. It's been an ongoing issue that we've been dealing with. We hope to have a resolution on that literally today."
"This is a unique situation," Smith said. "Once awarded, our hazmat teams will be allowed back inside to do their jobs."
Louise told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that she used bleach to clean her apartment, "but it’s not clear to me how systematic the cleaning was," Cooper said.
Three Dallas County sheriff's deputies have been placed on leave after helping deliver court orders to the four family members, Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Carmen Castro said Friday.
The trio escorted a Dallas County Health and Human Services worker on Wednesday who was delivering the orders, which placed the family members inside the apartment under quarantine until October 19. Castro says the deputies' leave is precautionary for their peace of mind.
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