A Liberian national who landed at Newark Airport on Tuesday has been taken to a local hospital where he is being isolated and evaluated for possible Ebola infection.
According to NBC New York, the man arrived on a United Airlines flight from Brussels, having traveled there from Liberia.
He waited in line with other passengers at the customs check-in, and then was singled out for a health screening by agents because of his recent travel history, sources familiar with the screening said.
That’s when officers discovered he had a fever, according to the sources. It’s not clear if he was exhibiting any other symptoms of illness.
[…]
Two sources briefed on the treatment of the patient said he was being evaluated “as if he has Ebola” out of an abundance of caution and until proven otherwise.
Carol Crawford , a spokeswoman with the CDC, issued a statement, which noted:
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 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.
It is not clear at this point whether the man flew to Brussels in an attempt to conceal his point of origin.
This story will be updated as new information becomes available.
