First Ebola case diagnosed in the U.S.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced late this afternoon it has confirmed the first case of Ebola in the United States.

The unidentified patient is being treated at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. Doctors put the patient in isolation as soon as they suspected Ebola might be involved.

The patient’s travel history played a role in making the doctors suspicious, which indicates he or she probably had the disease before arriving in the United States.

Although the case likely will cause fears about Ebola’s possible spread here, a similar case in Nigeria proves the disease can be contained. A man who took a commercial flight from Liberia to Nigeria last month later died of the disease. Several of the health workers who treated him also contracted the disease and died, including a doctor. But no one on the flight was diagnosed with the virus, and the cases in Nigeria have been limited to the people who came into contact with that first patient.

Ebola has killed about 1,600 people in West Africa. The only Americans to contract the disease so far are three missionaries and one medical technician who were working in the area. They were all evacuated to the United States for treatment. The three missionaries have all recovered. The fourth patient, who was never named, is still being treated at Atlanta’s Emory University Hospital.

Federal officials say they are prepared to treat anticipated cases of Ebola brought to American soil by travelers from West Africa. Although passengers are screened at airports in the region, Ebola symptoms can take up to 21 days to manifest. The virus isn’t contagious until symptoms begin. Ebola is spread through contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.