Ebola-exposed nurse arrives at National Institutes of Health clinic

A female nurse who was exposed to Ebola while in West Africa arrived at the National Institutes of Health on Thursday, becoming the latest person to be admitted to a U.S. hospital after being exposed to the disease.

Officials with the NIH, based in Bethesda, Md., said the patient had been doing volunteer work in an Ebola treatment unit in Sierra Leone. The patient, who arrived about 12:40 p.m. Eastern time and was admitted to the special clinical studies unit for observation, was not identified by name.

She was admitted “out of an abundance of caution,” the NIH said.

Since the current Ebola outbreak began a year ago in West Africa — where the World Health Organization estimates the virus has killed more than 6,000 people — 10 patients have been treated in the United States. Of those 10, eight have recovered and two have died.

Nina Pham, a Texas nurse who contracted Ebola from a man who was the first to become ill with the disease on American soil, was treated at the NIH in October.

Last week a patient was admitted to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta for observation after being exposed to Ebola. As of Thursday morning, the hospital had not identified that individual and was not releasing any more information.

Twitter: @kurtisalee