New Mexico Teacher Tested For Ebola In 'Abundance of Caution'

A teacher from New Mexico who recently visited Sierra Leone is reportedly being tested for the Ebola virus "out of an abundance of caution," the U.S. Health Department announced Monday.

The teacher, whose identity is being kept anonymous, reportedly returned from Sierra Leone earlier this month after teaching abroad. Recently, the 30-year-old female teacher has had a sore throat, headache, muscle aches and fever, symptoms that are similar to those of preliminary Ebola.

Although the woman is being tested for the virus, the U.S. Health Department has been clear in saying they are performing the tests "out of an abundance of caution," adding that it is "unlikely" the teacher has the infectious disease.

So far, no Americans have contracted the deadly disease that is currently spreading across West African countries in epidemic fashion. Since the outbreak of Ebola began in March, over 2,000 people have been diagnosed with the disease, while over 1,000 people have died.

Several West African countries have declared a state of emergency in response to the virus, saying that containing Ebola will be a long and arduous process. The United States announced this week that it would be fast-tracking the process of testing an experimental Ebola drug, created in Ames, Iowa, on humans.

Dr. Jay Ramsey, a compliance officer for NewLink Genetics, told Fox News that the current Ebola outbreak is forcing pharmaceutical companies to focus on ethical issues while also pushing research on Ebola vaccines as quickly as possible.

"Times change and so do perceptions of risk. So at this point, although there's still a lot of attention paid to ethical issues, everyone is acting as it hits their desk," Ramsey said.