A U.S. health-care worker exposed to the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone arrived at Nebraska Medical Centers Biocontainment Unit Sunday for observation. (Nebraska Medicine)

A U.S. health-care worker exposed to the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone arrived at a Nebraska hospital on Sunday for observation and potential treatment.

The patient, who has not been identified, arrived at the Nebraska Medical Centers Biocontainment Unit mid-afternoon.

Even though the patient hasnt had a positive test for Ebola, all of our team members are taking the same precautions that were taken with the first three patients who did have Ebola, spokesman Taylor Wilson said. Its out of an abundance of caution that this approach is being used.

The patient will be under observation for the recommended 21-day monitoring period in the same room that was used to treat three patients with Ebola: doctor Richard Sacra, in September; NBC cameraman Ashoka Mukpo, in October; and doctor Martin Salia, who died after less than two days of treatment in November.

The currentEbola epidemic is the largestin history, mostlyaffecting the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone,according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has more than 150 staff members on the ground in the region. As of Friday, there have been more than 20,000 cases worldwide, with just over 8,000 total deaths, according to the CDC and the World Health Organization.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), who recently visited Liberia, where troops have been deployed to assist in the response to the outbreak, said Sunday that the troops there have done remarkable work, but he called on the Pentagon to change its strategy.

Although we cant declare mission accomplished and withdraw too early here, we can bring home a thousand or more of these troops now, he said on CBS News Face the Nation. Theyre currently bored because theyve accomplished a lot of their mission of building infrastructure.

What was a raging epidemic in September in Liberia is now down to a few embers scattered across this country, Coons said. Some troops should remain for the rest of the year to help transition the response locally, he said, adding thathe would formally call for the shift in strategy on Monday in notes to the president and the defense secretary.

The Nebraska Medical Center has notified the CDC about the patient but has yet to ask for its involvement. Should the Center request assistance, the CDCs role would be an advisory one, saidCDC spokeswoman Kathy Harben.

Original post:

U.S. health-care worker exposed to Ebola to arrive in Nebraska for observation