An Ebola scare at the Pentagon led to an unidentified woman being rushed to a nearby hospital while a portion of the parking lot where she appeared to show the symptoms, including vomiting, was immediately cordoned off on Friday morning, the Pentagon confirmed.
The woman, who had recently traveled to Africa, was headed to a high-level Marine Corps ceremony around 9:10 a.m. Friday. After getting off the bus in one of the Pentagon's parking lot, she began vomiting, sparking concerns about a potential Ebola problem.
Forty-three minutes later, she was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital after police identified her, with Arlington County Fire Department and the Pentagon police closing off the general area of the parking lot where she vomited and restricting further access inside it, including for vehicles.
Additionally, one other entrance on the south side of the massive Pentagon building was also shut down "out of an abundance of caution and to allow the investigation to proceed," said Air Force Lt. Col. Tom Crosson, a Pentagon spokesman.
Described as a civilian, officials could not confirm what part of Africa she had been to or whether she had a fever, known to be one of Ebola's symptoms, one defense official said, adding that few details were immediately available about the woman.
However, speaking on condition of anonymity, the defense official said the bus she had been on was headed to a Marine Corps ceremony to mark the passing of command from one leader to another, an exclusive event with a restricted guest list, according to USA Today.
Following the incident, passengers on board were allowed to take "comfort breaks" by stepping off the bus for a while, the official said. The current status of the bus remained unclear.
"The incident comes amid mounting alarm in the United States about the risks from Ebola after two nurses who cared for an Ebola patient in Texas contracted the virus," according to Reuters.
Although the current death toll of nearly 4,500 Ebola victims has largely been centralized in West Africa, a handful of cases have popped up in the United States, Spain, and Germany, with each nation introducing additional screening measures for the virus at their main international airports.
Meanwhile, up to 4,000 U.S. troops are being deployed to West Africa to help control the Ebola outbreak.
A decision is due to be announced on Friday when Spanish Defense Minister Pedro Morenes meets U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in Washington,
If approved, at least 700 members of the U.S. army are set to travel to Liberia, with only 150 being quipped with safety training to protect themselves from the virus. Their main aim will be to build Ebola care centers and train healthcare workers in the country, the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. military said.
