US nurse exposed to Ebola arrives at NIH

An American nurse exposed to Ebola in West Africa safely arrived at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Thursday where she will remain in isolation “out of an abundance of caution.”

{mosads}The patient, whose name and condition has not been disclosed, was transferred “from an overseas location via private charter medevac in isolation” and arrived just before 3 p.m., according to a release.

The nurse was exposed to the disease while volunteering in Sierra Leone and will stay in a unit “specifically designed to provide high-level isolation capabilities,” according to the NIH.

The NIH in Bethesda, Md., one of the top hospitals in the country, has successfully treated several patients with Ebola since the outbreak began. NIH said the patient does not pose a threat to the public.

“NIH is taking every precaution to ensure the safety of our patients, NIH staff, and the public. This situation presents minimal risk to any of them,” the release states.

An NIH spokeswoman said she did not know whether the patient had reported symptoms of Ebola or had been tested for the disease. 

“All we know at this time is that the patient has had a potential exposure to Ebola,” NIH spokeswoman Emma Wojtowicz said.

The U.S. has not had a case of Ebola within its borders since Nov. 17, when a surgeon from Sierra Leone died in a Nebraska hospital.

This story was updated at 3:26 p.m.