WASHINGTON — An American nurse exposed to Ebola in Sierre Leone will be admitted to the National Institutes of Health Thursday.

The nurse had been volunteering in an Ebola treatment unit in Sierra Leone, according to a news release from NIH.

The patient will be admitted to the NIH Clinical Center’s special clinical studies unit for observation and to enroll in a clinical protocol.

NIH says the unit is “specifically designed to provide high-level isolation capabilities and is staffed by infectious diseases and critical care specialists. The unit staff is trained in strict infection control practices optimized to prevent spread of potentially transmissible agents such as Ebola.”

Access to to the unit will be strictly controlled.

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