American Health Care Worker Monitored for Ebola Symptoms

The person, whose identity has not been revealed, may have been exposed to the virus in Democratic Republic of Congo and is now at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Written byShawna Williams

| 2 min read

Save for Later

a woman adjusts the goggles of a person wearing a white protective suit

Listen with Speechify

0:00

2:00

ABOVE: Emergency responders train how to properly wear personal protective equipment in a 2016 photo.
FLICKR, CDC GLOBAL

Update (January 14): The Nebraska Medical Center announced on Saturday (January 12) that the health care worker who had been monitored for Ebola has been released from the hospital. "This individual never developed the potentially deadly disease and poses no risk to the public," the statement notes.

An American health care worker has been evacuated from Democratic Republic of Congo after a possible exposure to Ebola virus, the University of Nebraska Medical Center announced Saturday (December 29). The unidentified individual, who had been caring for patients with Ebola, will be monitored in a secure area at the medical center for up to two weeks, and will be transferred to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit if symptoms develop, according to a statement.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of last Tuesday (December 25), ...

Interested in reading more?

The Scientist ARCHIVES

Become a Member of

Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!

Join for free today

Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

Shawna Williams
Shawna was an editor at The Scientist from 2017 through 2022. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Colorado College and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Previously, she worked as a freelance editor and writer, and in the communications offices of several academic research institutions. As news director, Shawna assigned and edited news, opinion, and in-depth feature articles for the website on all aspects of the life sciences. She is based in central Washington State, and is a member of the Northwest Science Writers Association and the National Association of Science Writers.
View Full Profile