NIH to Treat American Doctor Infected with Ebola

Another American infected with the Ebola virus will be heading back to this country to receive treatment.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced in a press release that the unidentified doctor, who came in contact with the virus while volunteering in Sierra Leone, will be admitted to the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD, for treatment. Since the outbreak began several months ago, Americans have received treatment at Emory University in Atlanta and another facility in Nebraska.

The NIH noted that the patient will be treated in the facility’s special studies unit, “that is specifically designed to provide high-level isolation capabilities staffed by infectious diseases and critical care specialists.”

While the four previous American patients with confirmed Ebola virus infection have been treated in specialized facilities, the NIH statement said that does not have to be the case in all instances.

“It is important to remember that Ebola patients can be safely cared for at any hospital that follows CDC’s infection control recommendations and can isolate a patient in a private room,” the NIH statement said.

The doctor, according to the NIH will be at the facility “for observation and to enroll in a clinical protocol.”

According to CNN, at least three of the four previous Americans to be treated for Ebola in this country have been released following various forms of treatment, including experimental medications and one receiving a blood donation from another survivor.