A video obtained by The Post shows a heavily bundled 5-year-old Bronx boy being rushed by workers in hazmat suits to Bellevue Hospital, where he developed a low-grade fever Monday morning and was being tested for Ebola.
The boy’s mother can also be seen in the video, emerging with just a face mask on behind her son at the East 172nd Street building.
The family returned Saturday night from Guinea, one of three West African countries ravaged by the disease.
The child did not have a fever when he was initially examined Sunday night at Bellevue, according to the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp. He developed the fever about 7 a.m. Monday.
City Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said on MSNBC that the boy has a low-grade fever and that the test results are expected by early afternoon.
Mayor de Blasio said Monday morning that the boy was rushed to Bellevue out of “an abundance of caution” because of his travel history and because he was showing signs of being ill.
“The child was having some difficulties but it was not clear the symptoms were related to Ebola,” de Blasio said, explaining that he was being purposely vague to protect the family’s privacy.
“There were some signs of an illness, [it was] not clear what illness was, so we did the cautious thing.”
The family’s apartment and building have not been decontaminated, he said, because there is “no evidence of Ebola so no decontamination would be appropriate.”
Many residents in the six-story building – where cops on Monday erected a police barrier to keep the media out – told The Post they were unaware of the situation.
“I saw the workers suited up taking the boy out,” said first-floor resident Tawana Johnson, 36, who took the video. “He looked out of it. I hope he’ll be OK. They’re a nice, hardworking family. … I heard he was playing with the neighbor’s kids and she sent them to school today.”
Johnson complained about the lack of information from officials.
“We should’ve been notified that a boy was taken with possible Ebola. We know we can’t catch it through the air, but we should at least be told,” she said.
“The building hasn’t been cleaned and the mother came out yesterday wearing just a face mask. I’m upset we haven’t been told anything and the building hasn’t been cleaned.”
She said the case of Dr. Craig Spencer, New York’s first Ebola resident to be diagnosed with Ebola, was treated differently.
“Here in the Bronx it seems they aren’t doing anything,” she said. “They should be handing out flyers telling people about Ebola and how you catch it just like they did for that doctor. It’s not right.”
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Firefighters help EMS worker put on hazmat suits before they went to pickup the boy who had Ebola-like symptoms on Sunday night.Photo: Peter Gerber
Spencer, de Blasio said, remained in stable condition Monday.
Luis Gonzalez, the superintendent, was mopping Monday while wearing a pair of gloves with his arms exposed.
“It hurts that we haven’t been told what happened. I found out through my neighbor,” Gonzalez said.
“I’m not doing anything differently. I called management and they basically said, ‘Do what you need to.’ I don’t think management even knew because this happened late. I’m worried, of course. I hope that little boy will be OK. People need to be careful because nobody knows for sure how you catch it. People spit on the floor. Be careful.”
The city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, after consulting with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, decided to test the boy for the virus because of his recent travel history and pattern of symptoms. He also is being evaluated for other childhood illnesses.
Detectives also are tracing the boy’s contacts to identify who may be at potential risk.
Several members of the boy’s family are being quarantined inside their apartment, sources have told The Post, although the boy’s mother remained with him at the hospital.
The boy’s family declined to comment Monday. A young boy said through the closed door:
“My parents aren’t home. We can’t talk.”
