Body of Brooklyn Woman to be Tested for Ebola
The body of a 40-year-old woman who died of an apparent heart attack Tuesday afternoon at the African Queen Hair Braiding hair salon in Brownsville, Brooklyn is being tested for Ebola as "an abundance of caution," city health officials announced. The woman returned 18 days ago from Guinea in West Africa, one of the countries hit hardest by the virus.
The woman's name has not been released, and the results of the Ebola test are expected to be announced today. Health officials confirmed to the New York Times that she did not show symptoms of the virus in the days leading up to her death:
A hazmat unit responded, along with officials from the medical examiner's office, the health department and the Police Department, said Jim Long, a Fire Department spokesman. The medical examiner's office collected blood specimens from the woman and gave them to the health department for testing, he said.
On Tuesday night, three responders who entered the store wearing protective suits were being cleaned, according to the department's decontamination protocols, Mr. Long said. Two others who helped with that process were also being cleaned, Mr. Long said.
Craig Spencer, the New York City doctor who tested positive for Ebola, was released from the hospital, virus-free, last week.
