UGANDA'S GIFT TO AMERICA

Ebola virus panic in NYC after multiple suspected cases spark emergency response

 

By Rachel Bowman 

Daily Mail

Feb 16, 2025

 

 An ebola infection

Two suspected Ebola patients were transported from a New York City urgent care facility to a hospital for treatment after they exhibited symptoms of the deadly and incurable disease.

The patients were transported from a City MD on East 125th Street and Lexington Avenue around 11:16 a.m. ET on Sunday, the New York City Fire Department told DailyMail.com.

Images showed first responders wearing face coverings and gloves as they moved the patients into ambulances on the rainy Upper East Side street.

Officials suspected they may have Ebola infections because the patients had recently traveled from Uganda where there is a current outbreak of the disease, according to the New York Post.

FDNY confirmed that the patients were taken to Bellevue Hospital where Department of Health officials determined they did not have Ebola.

'The two patients that sought services at CityMD on February 16 at 153 East 125 Street do not have Ebola,' acting NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morris said.

'One patient is being taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue for routine testing and treatment. The NYC Health Department is in close communication with FDNY, CityMD and NYC Health + Hospitals.'

It is unknown what illness the patients may be suffering from, but sources told the Post the infection may be norovirus.

'For the protection of patient privacy, we do not have any comment,' City MD said. 'There is no report of any Ebola virus or exposure, consistent with what the DOH confirmed as well.'

 

Two suspected Ebola patients were transported from a City MD (pictured) on East 125th Street and Lexington Avenue on Sunday

Images showed first responders wore face coverings and gloves as they moved the patients into ambulances

 

The CDC has asked doctors to begin evaluating Americans for Ebola out of fear the disease has made its way into the country.

The Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory was issued after an Ebola outbreak was confirmed in Uganda on January 30.

On January 29, a 32-year-old nurse working at the Mulago National Referral Hospital in the capital city Kampala died from Ebola. 

In the several days before his death, the deceased Ugandan nurse had developed high fever, chest pain, difficulty in breathing and bleeding from multiple body sites.

He had sought treatment at multiple health facilities including Mulago Referral Hospital in Kampala, Saidina Abubakar Islamic Hospital in Matugga in Wakiso District, and Mbale Regional Referral Hospital in Mbale City - but did not recover.

According to the CDC, he also sought treatment from a traditional healer. The agency said post-mortem samples were tested and confirmed Ebola.

The CDC said Uganda is experiencing an outbreak of Sudan virus disease (SVD) in Kampala, Mbale and Wakiso. SVD is a type of Ebola disease caused by infection with the Sudan virus.

No vaccines or therapeutics have been approved for the prevention or treatment of SVD.

There are at least nine confirmed cases of the disease in Uganda, while 265 other people were being monitored under quarantine, health authorities said Tuesday. 

 

Officials suspected they may have Ebola infections because the patients had recently traveled from Uganda where there is a current outbreak of the disease

The CDC has asked doctors to begin evaluating Americans for Ebola out of fear the disease has made its way into the country

 

There are no approved vaccines for the Sudan strain of Ebola that is infecting people in Uganda. But authorities have launched a clinical study to further test the safety and efficacy of a trial vaccine as part of measures to stop the spread of the current outbreak. 

As part of the CDC advisory, the agency also issued a Level 2 travel alert for Uganda, encouraging travelers to practice enhanced precautions.

Ebola is spread by contact with bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials. 

Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding. 

It primarily occurs in Sub-Saharan Africa, which has seen outbreaks that have claimed over 15,000 lives since it was first identified in 1976.

The last outbreak of Ebola in Uganda, which began in September 2022, killed at least 55 people by the time it was declared over four months later. 

Experts have warned of threats to global health following Donald Trump and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

USAID, an independent agency established by an act of Congress, manages a budget of $42.8 billion meant for humanitarian relief and development assistance, including battling infectious diseases, around the world.