A man who recently arrived in New York City from Mali and developed unspecified symptoms has tested negative for Ebola, health officials said Thursday.
The test was conducted out of an abundance of caution, officials said. He'll remain in isolation at Bellevue Hospital and be tested again the coming days to confirm the negative result.
The man first went to see his private physician at the physician's office on the campus of Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn Monday, then left, officials said. It wasn't clear if he was experiencing symptoms at that time.
He was taken to Bellevue Hospital Center Thursday and authorities decided to conduct the Ebola test.
Interfatih Medical Center said it implemented the proper protocols after being notified by the city that the patient was being tested for Ebola.
The risk of contracting Ebola in Mali is low compared with the risk of getting the disease in countries like Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, where the outbreak is more prevalent. Only six cases of Ebola have been reported in Mali, according to the World Health Organization.
Five of those patients have died, including a 2-year-old girl who initially brought the virus there.
