First US ebola case triggers fears virus may spread globally

A man who flew from Liberia to Texas has become the first patient infected with the deadly ebola virus to be diagnosed in the United States, health officials said, a sign the outbreak ravaging West Africa may spread globally.

The patient sought treatment six days after arriving in Texas on September 20, Dr Thomas Frieden, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told reporters. He was admitted two days later to an isolation room at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.

US health officials and lawmakers have been bracing for the eventuality that a patient would arrive on US shores undetected, testing the preparedness of the nation’s healthcare system. Frieden and other health authorities said they were taking every step possible to ensure the virus did not spread widely.