A doctor
who treated Ebola patients in West Africa and was rushed to a New York
City hospital with fever and nausea Thursday has tested positive for the
deadly virus.
Dr
Craig Spencer, 33, who returned to the U.S. seven days ago from Guinea,
is the first reported case of Ebola in the most populous city in
America.
Spencer was admitted to Bellevue Hospital in midtown Manhattan on Thursday and is being cared for in isolation.
Dr Craig Spencer, 33, who returned to
the U.S. seven days ago after treating Ebola patients in Guinea, was
admitted to Bellevue Hospital on Thursday with Ebola-like symptoms
Dr Spencer, 33, returned from West
Africa seven days ago and was taken to Bellevue Hospital on Thursday
after reporting a 103F fever
Hospitalized: Morgan Dixon, Dr
Spencer's girlfriend, is also in Bellevue Hospital, where she is being
monitored for possible exposure to Ebola
Fear: Police officers stand outside
the home of Craig Spencer as night falls on a city suddenly struck for
the first time with Ebola
Went bowling: Spencer was feeling
poorly on Wednesday when he went to one of the busy, trendy bowling
alleys in Williamsburg. There are two such establishments. The Gutter,
pictured, was closed Thursday due to 'unforeseen circumstances.' The
other, Brooklyn Bowl, remained open
Traveled
throughout New York: In addition to his subway trip to Brooklyn and Uber
trip home to Harlem, Spencer went for a jog, ate a restaurant and
visited the popular Manhattan tourist destination the Highline
New
York officials have been making preparations for the possibility for
months but some fear the positive test in America's busiest metropolis
reveals the nation's continued susceptibility to the growing plague.
New
York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo assembled at
Bellevue Hospital for a press conference following the the positive test
results.
'Today, testing confirmed that a patient here in New York City has tested positive or Ebola,' began Mayor de Blasio.
The
mayor said that being near someone in places like a subway car does not
put someone at risk because 'Ebola is an extremely difficult disease to
get.'
'Every hospital in the city is prepared in the event other patients come forward,' said de Blasio.
Governor Cuomo hit on many of the same points, but admitted this case did not come as a surprise.
[We were] hoping that it didn't happen but also realistic,' Cuomo said. 'We can't say this is unexpected.'
Governor Cuomo revealed that four people were considered potentially exposed to Dr. Spencer 'during the relevant period.'
'We're already in contact with the four people,' the governor said.
Calming the fears: New York City Mayor
Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo assembled at Bellevue Hospital
(pictured) for a press conference following the the positive test
results where both maintained that Ebola is an extremely difficult
disease to catch
Subway fears: The mayor said that
being near someone in places like a subway car does not put someone at
risk because 'Ebola is an extremely difficult disease to get.'
Dr Spencer returned to the US from West Africa just seven days ago, flying through Brussels to the United States
New
York City Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Travis Bassett
said those contacts are Spencer's girlfriend and his two friends.
A fourth was the Uber car driver, who is not considered at risk.
'He did leave his apartment,' Bassett admitted. 'We are aware that he went on a 3-mile jog.'
She said Spencer reported that he took three different subway trains--the 1, the A and the L.
Dr.
Basset also revealed that Spencer went to the Highline elevated park, a
popular tourist destination in Manhattan, and 'may have' eaten at a
restaurant Wednesday.
But
the next day, Spencer was taken in an ambulance staffed with a hazmat
crew from his home in Harlem after developing an 103F fever, nausea,
pain and fatigue. The NYPD were seen cordoning off the street where the
doctor lives with his girlfriend, named as Morgan Dixon.
Rode the subway: New York City
Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Travis Bassett reported that
he took three different subway trains--the 1, the A and the L (pictured)
Before
Spencer was admitted between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. local time to Bellevue,
the staff spent about three hours shutting off certain areas to isolate
the seventh-floor ward where he would be kept, one nurse aide said.
'Anyone
would be scared to be next door to a patient. But if we do it the right
way there's nothing to be scared of,' said the aide, Kirk Elphage.
A
woman at the Bellevue information desk identified herself to a staff
member as the patient's fianceé. She appeared very agitated and declined
to comment.
The physician works at Columbia University Medical Center and originally comes from Detroit, Michigan.
He has not treated any patients at Columbia Presbyterian since returning from Africa.
'It
is our understanding very few people were in direct contact with him,'
Mayor Bill DeBlasio said. 'Every protocol has been followed. We're
hoping for a good outcome for this individual.'
The doctor reported his fever immediately, and Doctors Without Borders said it promptly notified the city health department.
HEALTH OFFICIALS USE TABASCO SAUCE IN EBOLA TRAINING
At
the Ebola unit at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center,
the staff have been practicing treating fake patients who've been
sprayed at random with the spicy pepper sauce, reports ABC.
Tobacco sauce is produced out of Louisiana by McIlhenny Co. from red peppers called Capsicum frutescens.
When
human skin comes into contact with capsaicin, the 'spicy chemical' in
the peppers, it will tingle as the brain's pain and temperature
receptors are activated at the same time'In a way, it gives feedback
immediately,' said Dr. Bruce Meyer, an executive vice president at the
hospital.
The
hospital's director of infection prevention, Doramarie Arocha, came up
with the idea to replicate Ebola fluids with Tobasco Sauce just
recently. Nurse Elizabeth Thomas told ABC said that health workers were
originally training with ketchup mixed with water.
Once
workers in training took off their protective gear at the end of the
drill, Arocha asked everyone to rub their eyes and touch their lips to
determine whether or not they were free of Tobasco sauce which in a more
dire circumstance could lead to transmission of the deadly virus.
'But we didn't have the burning sensation,' Thomas said. 'So that's how we knew we were doing the right thing.'
Warning signs: A
New York City Department of Health and Hospitals Police officer walks
past the entrance to Bellevue Hospital after a doctor who recently
returned to New York from West Africa was rushed with a fever
Positive: Seen
here is the entrance to Bellevue Hospital in New York City, right,
where Spencer tested positive for Ebola Thursday night. At left, media
began to gather into the evening as news spread of the doctor's
diagnosis
Spencer was rushed to Bellevue in this
ambulance Thursday. EMTs in full Ebola gear arrived and took him to
Bellevue surrounded by police squad cars
Treated: Spencer was being treated at
Bellevue Hospital, the health department said. The historic city
hospital is one of the eight in New York state designated this month as
part of an Ebola preparedness plan
Members of Bellevue Hospital staff
wear protective clothing as they demonstrate how they would receive a
suspected Ebola patient on October 8. On Thursday they got the chance
to implement their skills
The
health department said it was tracing all of the patient's contacts to
identify anyone who may be at potential risk. It said the patient had
been transported by a specially trained unit wearing protective gear.
The doctor's neighbor John Roston told the Daily News that Spencer lived with a girlfriend. Mr Roston added: 'I hope he feels better, I hope it's not Ebola, I hope it's the flu.'
Health
officials and police officers were fanned out in the area of Spencer's
142nd and Broadway apartment even before the results came in--handing
out flyers, knocking on doors and asking neighbors about potential
contact with Spencer.
initial
news of Spencer's potential infection led the CDC to ready a 'team of
specialists for epidemiology, infection control and communications' to
travel to New York City on Thursday night, reports the Washington Post.
A
woman at the Bellevue Hospital information desk identified herself to a
staff member as the patient's fianceé. She appeared very agitated and
declined to comment.
Spencer
had been checking in with MSF regularly to monitor his condition
however investigators were taking the case seriously because it is not
believed that the doctor self-quarantined on his return from Guinea, CNN reported.
Spencer flew back through Brussels, Belgium into JFK Aiport in Queens, New York on October 16.
The doctor has been out in public and has been providing details of his movements.
Dr Spencer,
pictured with girlfriend Morgan Dixon at right. He is being cared for
in an isolation unit at Bellevue hospital in Manhattan but spent the
previous evening out in busy Williamsburg
It is believed that Dr Spencer went to
The Gutter bowling alley in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on Wednesday night,
hours before he reported a 103F fever and nausea
What happened at
The Gutter? An exterior view of The Gutter, where reporters - but no one
in hazmat suits - gathered on. Spencer went out for the night Wednesday
to one of Williamsburg's two bowling alleys
TIMELINE: THE RUN UP TO DR SPENCER'S EBOLA DIAGNOSIS
Dr
Craig Spencer flew to Guinea on September 16 to treat Ebola patients as
a member of the French organization Doctors Without Borders (Medecins
Sans Frontiers).
On October 16, he flew to Brussels in Belgium, where he stayed the night in a hotel.
He flew in to JFK where he was screened for the deadly virus.
In
the last seven days we know that he went on a three-mile run around
Harlem and spent most of his time with his fiancee at their apartment on
147th St.
On Wednesday, he took the 1 train to the High Line garden bridge, on the west side of Manhattan.
Afterwards, he had lunch at a restaurant.
That night, he took the A train to 14th St-8th Ave. He then transferred to the L train and alighted at Bedford Avenue.
He went to The Gutter bowling alley with his fiancee and two friends before taking an Uber cab home.
On Thursday morning, between 10am and 11am, he contacted the health department to report that he had a fever.
He was then admitted to Bellevue and tested.
At approximately 8.30pm, the tests came back positive.
His girlfriend is being quarantined as a precaution, the network reported.
Dr Spencer reported feeling sluggish on Tuesday but only developed a temperature on Thursday, The New York Times reported.
Last
night, he took the subway--most likely including the extremely busy L
train--to a bowling alley in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He took an Uber
taxi home.
While
it initially remained unclear which bowling alley the doctor visited,
Brooklyn Bowl - a 16-lane bowling alley, bar and music venue - confirmed
to MailOnline it would open on Thursday night.
An
employee at The Gutter declined to reveal to MailOnline whether or not
they intended to open their doors on Thursday evening.
The doctor flew to Africa on September 18 to treat patients in Guinea with non-profit organization Doctors Without Borders.
On
September 18, Dr Spencer tweeted a picture of himself wearing a full
yellow hazmat suit and face mask with the message: 'Off to Guinea with
Doctors Without Borders. Please support organizations that are sending
support or personnel to West Africa, and help combat one of the worst
public health and humanitarian disasters in recent history.'
Spreaing the word: Members of the New
York City Department of Health speak to neighbors of a Dr. Craig
Spencer, who is suspected to have Ebola in in the Harlem section of New
York
A
neighborhood watches: Neighbors of Spencer's hold Ebola information
cards in the Harlem, where response teams fanned out following news of
the doctor's possible Ebola symptoms
Spencer's apartment in Manhattan's
Harlem neighborhood was sealed off but the rest of the six-story brick
building remained open to residents, health officials said
The doctor
was transported by a specially-trained hazmat unit wearing Personal
Protective Equipment on Thursday by ambulance to Bellevue from his
Harlem home (pictured)
On October 16, he checked in at a hotel in Brussels, Belgium, presumably on his return journey from Guinea to the U.S.
Spencer
has been a fellow of international emergency medicine at Columbia
University-New York Presbyterian Hospital min New York City since 2011,
according to his profile on the LinkedIn career website.
He described himself on LinkedIn as fluent in Chinese, French and Spanish.
Dr Spencer had been self-monitoring for symptoms of Ebola but had not been in quarantine on returning from West Africa
The
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said on Thursday: 'EMS
HAZ-TAC Units transported a patient to Bellevue Hospital who presented a
fever and gastrointestinal symptoms.
'The
patient is a health care worker who returned to the U.S. within the
past 21 days from one of the three countries currently facing the
outbreak of this virus.
'The patient was transported by a specially trained HAZ TAC unit wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).'
Bellevue Hospital is the designated center for the isolation and treatment of potential Ebola patients in New York.
The
health department added: 'New York City is taking all necessary
precautions to ensure the health and safety of all New Yorkers.
'Bellevue
and the New York State Department of Health will ensure that all staff
caring for the patient do so while following the utmost safety
guidelines and protocols.'
So-called
'disease detectives' will now fan out to trace the patients' contacts
in order to identify anyone who may be potentially at risk.
Authorities
also reassured New Yorkers that the chances of catching Ebola were slim
unless a person came in direct contact with a contagious Ebola
patient's bodily fluids.
The
emergence of a potential Ebola case in New York City came on the same
day that the White House announced that Ebola response squads — likened
to public health SWAT teams — are being readied to rush to any U.S. city
where an Ebola case might be identified.
Meanwhile,
the government has formed a second set of teams to prepare hospitals in
cities deemed most likely to see a new Ebola case, should one turn up.
Three of those teams have already been sent out.
Health officials this week first shared details about the two sets of health squads.
EBOLA SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Via the CDC:
- Symptoms of Ebola include
- Fever
- Severe headache
- Muscle pain
- Weakness
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Abdominal (stomach) pain
- Unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising)
Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to Ebola, but the average is 8 to 10 days.
Recovery from Ebola depends on good supportive clinical care and the patient's immune response.
People who recover from Ebola infection develop antibodies that last for at least 10 years.
The
teams are 'ready to go — boom — if we have another case of Ebola,' said
Dr Jordan Tappero, one of the leaders of CDC's Ebola response effort.
The
government has been criticized for its handling of the first person
diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S. Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian, came
down with Ebola symptoms last month, a few days after arriving in Dallas
from West Africa.
He was admitted to a Dallas hospital on September 28 and died on October 8.
Duncan's
illness and death created public fear as health officials had to track
down and monitor scores of people he came in contact with.
No
one in the community has been infected, but two nurses who cared for
him were. Since then, CDC officials have said they should have sent more
people to Dallas when Duncan's case first surfaced — particularly
infection control specialists, who could have provided better guidance
to the hospital.
Last week, President Obama announced a push for a faster federal reaction.
'We
want a rapid response team, a SWAT team essentially, from the CDC to be
on the ground as quickly as possible, hopefully within 24 hours, so
that they are taking the local hospital step by step though what needs
to be done,' he said.
Both
the U.S. and Spain have recorded deaths from Ebola. In Dallas, a
Liberian national died of the virus three weeks ago and two nurses who
treated him tested positive for the virus.
Eight designated hospitals in New
York: Barbara Smith, RN, Mount Sinai Health Sysytems and Bryan
Christiansen MD, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Infection Control Team for the Ebola Response, demonstrates the proper
technique for donning protective gear during an ebola educational
session for healthcare workers on October 21
Preparation: A member of Bellevue's
Hospital staff wears protective clothing during a demonstration on how
they would receive a suspected Ebola patient. Governor Cuomo admitted
Thursday this case did not come as a surprise but assured New York the
city is well prepared
WILL NYC BE VISITED BY FIRST EBOLA SWAT TEAM?
The CDC has developed two sets of teams, identified by acronyms CERT and FAST.
The
CERTs - CDC Ebola Response Teams - are to be made up of 10 to 20
people each, who can be sent to a hospital immediately after a new case
of Ebola is lab-confirmed or even before confirmation, if health
officials believe a person is very likely to be infected. They are drawn
from a list of roughly 100 CDC workers and others, scattered across the
country. No CERT team has been deployed yet but the 20 or so people at
the top of the list are on standby, with bags packed.
FAST TEAMS
Three
FAST teams were assembled last week. These are smaller, preparatory
teams: FAST stands for Facility Assessment and Support Teams. They're
involved in checking out hospitals that have volunteered to handle Ebola
cases, making sure they are ready to handle everything from the first
encounter with a patient to the disposal of Ebola-infected medical
waste. The FAST teams have already been sent to New York, Chicago and
Washington, D.C, Atlanta and Newark, New Jersey.
OTHER TEAMS
On
Sunday, the Pentagon said it's building a 30-person medical support
team that could go to help civilian hospitals deal with a future
emergence of Ebola. The team is to include 20 critical care nurses, five
doctors trained in infectious disease and five trainers in infectious
disease protocols.
The CDC (its chief Dr. Tom Frieden is
pictured here) deployed a team of experts to New York to help with the
response to Spencer's case even before he tested positive
Health specialists work in an
isolation ward for patients at the Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
facility in Guékedou, southern Guinea. All told, the Ebola scourge has
killed
At
least two Spanish missionaries died in Spain after contracting the
disease in West Africa. One Spanish nurse also tested positive for the
virus but has been given the all-clear.
The
US only has four hospitals that have specially-designed bio-containment
units, with a total of about a dozen places for highly-infectious or
dangerous cases.
Once
those spaces are filled, any new Ebola patients would have to be
treated in regular hospitals, which help from CDC specialists.
The virus has killed more than 4,000 people, almost all of them in West Africa, but infections are increasing in the West.
Thomas
Eric Duncan, 42, died on October 8, a week after he became the first
person diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S., and two weeks after he first
sought treatment at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.
Two
nurses involved in his care – Nina Pham, 26, and Amber Vinson, 29 –
have since been diagnosed with the virus, raising serious questions
about the hospital's procedures.
The two nurses were moved from Texas Health to specialized hospitals with biocontainment units last week.
Miss
Pham is in a good condition at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda,
Maryland and Miss Vinson has tested negative for Ebola at Emory in
Atlanta, Georgia.
NBC cameraman Ashoka Mukpo, 33, was given the all-clear on Tuesday at Nebraska Medical Center after being diagnosed last month.
SHOCKING MOMENT BUMBLING COPS THREW OUT GLOVES AND MASKS IN PUBLIC TRASH CAN AFTER LEAVING EBOLA VICTIM'S HOME
Footage
taken outside the apartment of Ebola-stricken doctor Craig Spencer on
Thursday shows police throwing caution to the wind after working in the
area--and potentially endangering Harlem pedestrians--by tossing their
gloves and masks into a trash can.
It
remained unclear whether the officers entered the apartment, but the
footage was revealed at a moment when public confidence with the
government's response to Ebola is decidedly low.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2805488/Doctor-treated-Ebola-patients-Africa-rushed-New-York-hospital-103F-fever-nausea.html
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