News Release

Thursday, October 16, 2014

NIH to admit Texas nurse diagnosed with Ebola virus

Later today, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center expects to admit  the first nurse who contracted the Ebola virus at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital while providing patient care to the index patient who died of Ebola. The nurse is being admitted to the Special Clinical Studies Unit of the NIH Clinical Center at the request of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.  She will receive state-of-the-art care in this high-level containment facility, which is one of a small number of such facilities in the United States.

The NIH Clinical Center’s Special Clinical Studies Unit is specifically designed to provide high-level isolation capabilities and is staffed by infectious diseases and critical care specialists. The unit staff is trained in strict infection control practices optimized to prevent spread of potentially transmissible agents such as Ebola.  No additional details about the patient are being shared at this time.

NIH is taking every precaution to ensure the safety of our patients, NIH staff, and the public.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

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