Newark passenger evaluated for Ebola
UPDATE: A passenger at Newark Liberty International Airport who was evaluated for Ebola Tuesday afternoon does not appear to have the disease.
The patient was taken to University Hospital in Newark as a precaution after showing "mild symptoms potentially consistent with Ebola Virus Disease," a hospital spokeswoman said in an email Wednesday.
After he was examined by hospital physicians, in conjunction with the state health department, it was determined the man was not showing any Ebola symptoms as of Wednesday morning, the spokeswoman said.
The patient, who reportedly arrived on a United Airlines flight from Brussels, remained hospitalized for continued monitoring. His identity was not released.
ORIGINAL STORY: A passenger who landed at Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesday was being evaluated for signs of Ebola.
The traveler arrived on a United Airlines flight from Brussels. No other passengers were being tested for the virus, which has infected and killed thousands in West Africa.
"Health officials examined the passenger," United spokesman Charles Hobart wrote in an email. "The other customers deplaned normally and were cleared."
At a news conference today announcing a joint response team to coordinate on Ebola prepardness, Gov. Chris Christie said there were no indications the traveler had been infected, according to the Associated Press.
The governor wrote on Twitter this morning that "there are absolutely no cases of Ebola here in New Jersey."
The male Liberian national, who arrived at Newark shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday, had traveled from Liberia to Brussels before flying into the New Jersey airport, NBC New York reported.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement that the passenger was being evaluated at an area hospital.
"During the enhanced screening process for individuals arriving to the United States from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, an individual was identified as reporting symptoms or having a potential exposure to Ebola," the statement said.
It continued: "The passenger is being transported to a local hospital for further evaluation. CDC or state/local public health officials will contact other passengers on the aircraft should it be determined that there was any risk to the other passengers of exposure to communicable disease."
The agency had no new information about the case today
A spokeswoman for University Hospital in Newark, where the man was reported to have been taken, said the hospital would be issuing a statement on this situation but had no immediate information.
The Record reported that officials in protective gear were seen entering the health center and police were guarding entrances there. The Star-Ledger also reported heightened activity at the hospital, with yellow tape in front of an emergency entrance and staff telling visitors the medical center was on "lockdown."
Sources told NBC New York that the man was in line with other passengers at customs and was singled out for a health check due to his travel history. Officials discovered he had a fever, the news outlet reported, but it wasn't known if he was showing any other symptoms.
Newark is one of the five airports nationwide where travelers from the center of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa must fly into for enhanced screening.
Appearing on Good Day New York this morning, Sen. Cory Booker said policies and procedures for dealing with the Ebola threat "should have high standards and err on the side of caution."
The former Newark mayor didn't call for a ban on travel to and from affected countries, but said he had "gone out to Newark Airport to have them walk me through every procedure, every protocol, talk to local hospital officials where these folks in this case went, to make sure that we are keeping us safe."
Earlier this month, an ill passenger on another Brussels-to-Newark flight was also evaluated for Ebola. Medical officials determined that the sick passenger didn't have the virus.