CDC has tested 14 people for Ebola

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has tested 14 people for Ebola this year and only diagnosed one case, the agency’s director said.

Tom Frieden, who is spearheading the federal response to the Dallas outbreak, revealed the number Thursday during a call with reporters. He repeated it late Thursday in an op-ed for CNN.

{mosads}”Since the outbreak began in Africa, CDC has consulted with state and local health departments on almost 100 cases in which travelers had recently returned from West Africa and showed symptoms that might have been caused by Ebola,” Frieden wrote.

“Of those cases, 14 were considered to be truly at risk. Specimens from 13 were tested and Ebola was ruled out in all 13 cases.”

The acknowledgment points to the CDC’s effort to keep some details about its Ebola work under wraps. Frieden is the Obama administration’s main voice in trying to maintain calm over the virus.

Some Ebola tests had been reported in the coverage of false alarms over the last three months. Others came to light through Frieden’s acknowledgement on Thursday, though no additional details were provided.

The CDC is working with Texas health officials to prevent the one confirmed Ebola case from spreading in Dallas. The patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, is in medical isolation while disease detectives trace roughly 100 of his contacts.

A handful of people in that group are being monitored for possible Ebola symptoms, including four family members who are under quarantine.