A second person in the United States has been admitted to hospital suspected of having the deadly Ebola virus.
The patient, who recently travelled to Nigeria, was admitted out of an “abundance of caution” to Washington DC’s Howard University Hospital after developing possible symptoms.
A hospital spokesman said the person was in a stable condition and was being treated in isolation. It is not a confirmed case of Ebola.
The hospital spokeswoman said she could not provide additional details about the case because of patient privacy.
The possible case comes after Liberian national Thomas Eric Duncan, diagnosed as the first person with Ebola in the United States, was admitted to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital last weekend.
Mr Duncan flew to Texas from Liberia via Brussels and Washington two weeks ago.
US health officials said on Friday after conversations with 100 people who might have been exposed to Mr Duncan’s illness in Texas, about 50 would be observed daily for symptoms.
Texas Department of State Health Services commissioner David Lakey said of the 50, about 10 are considered at high risk, while the rest are considered at low risk.
A hazmat team has arrived to decontaminate the apartment where Mr Duncan stayed and where his family has been quarantined.
An American cameraman who tested positive for Ebola in Liberia is being flown back to the US for treatment.
US troops to provide health workers in Africa support
Meanwhile, the Pentagon said it may send about 4,000 troops to West Africa to support America’s response to the Ebola crisis – about 1,000 more than previously planned – and cautioned its projections may change further.
The increased Pentagon forecast came as the World Health Organisation increased the estimated death toll from Ebola to 3,439 people.
Rear Admiral John Kirby said American troops preparing to deploy to West Africa, mainly to Liberia, would take all the necessary precautions.
“We will be as transparent as we can about what we learn, should any of our troops fall ill,” Rear Admiral Kirby told a news conference.
“We aren’t going to be in the treatment business,” he said.
The military aims to open a 25-bed field hospital on October 18, which will be used to treat infected medical personnel, and set up two other treatment centres by the end of the month.
“These are logisticians, engineers, civil affairs folks, that are going to be helping establish the infrastructure so that healthcare workers can do the job that they need to do,” Rear Admiral Kirby said.
There are now 205 US military personnel in Liberia and another 26 in Senegal, the Pentagon said.
Rear Admiral Kirby said during the past 36 hours two Ebola testing laboratories manned by personnel from the US Naval Medical Research Centre were fully operational, with a capability of processing about 100 samples a day.
The outbreak of the disease, which causes fever, bleeding, vomiting and diarrhea, has overwhelmed health systems in the three most affected countries where it originated – Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
It has also spread to Senegal, Nigeria and the United States.
Reuters/ABC