5-Year-Old Tests Negative for Ebola in NYC

A five-year-old boy put in isolation at Bellevue Hospital in New York City Monday has tested negative for Ebola.

The child was taken to the hospital by specialists in personal protective equipment on Sunday evening to undergo monitoring for Ebola, and did not have a fever at that time. On Monday morning, the child developed a fever and the city decided to conduct a test for Ebola. The children had been in one of the three Ebola-affected countries within the last 21 days.

“Out of an abundance of caution, further negative Ebola tests are required on subsequent days to ensure that the patient is cleared,” the New York City health department said in a statement. “The patient will also be tested for common respiratory viruses. The patient will remain in isolation until all test results have returned.”

The child is being held at the same hospital as Doctors Without Borders physician Dr. Craig Spencer.