A doctor who recently returned to the U.S. after treating patients in West Africa is being tested for Ebola at a New York City hospital.
The unidentified patient, who worked with Doctors Without Borders, was transported to Bellevue Hospital on Thursday with a fever and an upset stomach, two of the symptoms of the deadly virus, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said in a statement.
The doctor was placed under isolation, and officials decided to test for Ebola after learning he recently returned from one of three West African countries at the center of the Ebola epidemic - Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia -according to the statement.
Results are expected within the next 12 hours.
Doctors Without Borders said it contacted city officials once the organization learned of the possible case.
"While at this stage there is no confirmation that the individual has contracted Ebola, Doctors Without Borders, in the interest of public safety and in accordance with its protocols, immediately notified the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, which is directly managing the individual's care," the organization said a statement obtained by NBC News.
The doctor returned from West Africa within the last 21 days, the maximum incubation period for the virus that has killed close to 5,000 people in the region. City health officials said they are also considering the possibility that the symptoms are being caused by malaria, the stomach flu or salmonella poisoning.
"New York City is taking all necessary precautions to ensure the health and safety of all New Yorkers," city health officials said in the statement, making sure to let the public know that Ebola is not spread by simply being around someone who is infected.
"The chances of the average New Yorker contracting Ebola are extremely slim. Ebola is spread by directly touching the bodily fluids of an infected person," the city health department said.
