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Ebola Reaches New York

Ebola has been confirmed in a New York City patient.

City officials say an emergency room doctor who recently returned to the city after treating Ebola patients in West Africa has tested positive for the virus. It's the fourth case in the U.S. and the first in the nation's biggest city.

Speaking at a press conference before 10 p.m., Mayor Bill de Blasio urged New Yorkers to remain calm and said the disease is different to contract.

"We have had a full coordinated effort that has been working night and day," Governor Andrew Cuomo said. "We are as ready as we could be for this circumstance."

Craig Spencer, a member of Doctors Without Borders, returned from Guinea more than a week ago, but came down with a 103-degree fever and diarrhea. He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, a designated Ebola center, and was being treated in a specially built isoation ward.

The CDC has dispatched an Ebola response team to New York, and the city's disease detectives have been tracing the doctor's contacts to identify anyone who may be at risk.

New York's acting health commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker told reporters, "it's important to reiterate that you can only get Ebola by being exposed to bodily fluids."

Copyright 2014 WAMC with Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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