New York City's "abundance of caution" against the Ebola virus has netted a negative test finding on a five-year-old boy earlier suspected of having the disease.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the boy and his family, composed of his father, mother, two brothers and sisters, live in the Bronx. They have spent a month in Guinea before returning to the U.S. They arrived at the JFK International Airport in NYC on Saturday.
The family called the police at around 9 pm on Sunday when the boy started showing Ebola-like symptoms. He was immediately transported to the Bellevue Hospital Center by specially trained responders wearing protective gears, the report added.
On Monday, NYC Department of Health and Human Services released a statement saying that the boy developed 103 degrees Fahrenheit fever at 7 am that morning, the Huffington Post said.
State health officials subsequently consulted with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Ebola test was conducted on the boy.
The Huffington Post also said that while still waiting for the Ebola test results for the boy, NYC heath department officials have already sent out its "disease detectives" to track down the contacts of the boy and determine their potential risk for Ebola.
While the boy has already tested negative of the virus, health department officials said he would still remain in quarantine until further tests confirm the initial findings. The boy will, in fact, undergo respiratory virus testing, notes the Huffington Post.
While he was undergoing testing, the boy was entirely with his mother, who did not show any symptoms of the virus. Testing was carried out in the hospital's emergency room and not on its specialized Ebola unit, cites The Wall Street Journal.
The first confirmed Ebola case in New York City, 33-year-old physician Craig Spencer, is currently being treated at the specialized Ebola unit of the Bellevue Hospital Center.
The physician worked as health aid worker in Guinea for the non-profit organization Doctors Without Borders before returning to the U.S. less than two weeks ago.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Spencer remains in serious but in stable condition. His closest contact, his fiancée Morgan Dixon, has not been showing any symptom of the disease but is being quarantined at their Harlem apartment.
Since being tested positive for Ebola last Thursday, Dr. Spencer has received antiviral and plasma therapy, in addition to the required supportive medication, notes The Huffington Post.
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