Department of health: Potential Ebola patient in New York

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) said in statement that a patient was transferred to Bellevue Hospital with a a fever and gastrointestinal symptoms.
The statement confirmed that the patient is a health care worker who returned to the US within the past 21 days from one of the three countries currently facing the Ebola outbreak of this virus.
The patient was transported by a specially trained HAZ TAC unit wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and conducted a test for the Ebola virus because of this patient's recent travel history, pattern of symptoms, and past work.
DOHMH are evaluating the patient for other causes of illness, as these symptoms can also be consistent with salmonella, malaria, or the stomach flu, it added.
In the next 12 hours, the preliminary test results are expected.
Furthermore, the statement noted that the Bellevue Hospital is designated for the "isolation, identification and treatment of potential Ebola patients by the City and State".
New York City is taking all necessary precautions to ensure the health and safety of all New Yorkers, it added.
Health Department's team of disease detectives began to actively trace all of the patient's contacts to identify anyone who may be at potential risk.
The Health Department staff has established protocols to identify, notify, and, if necessary, quarantine any contacts of Ebola cases.
"The chances of the average New Yorker contracting Ebola are extremely slim," it added.