Disease

Ebola Update: 1st Case Diagnosed in the US

A patient in Texas is the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

The patient had recently traveled to the United States from West Africa, a region that is currently experiencing the worst outbreak of Ebola in history.

The man flew out of Liberia on Sept. 19 and arrived in the United States on Sept. 20. He did not have symptoms during his flight or when he landed, but began showing symptoms around Sept. 24, Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC, said at a news conference today.

The CDC will now work to identify anyone who had contact with the Texas patient while he was sick.

The total number of confirmed Ebola cases in the three most affected countries — Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone — has now surpassed 6,500, and more than 3,000 people have died, according the World Health Organization.