Woman who caused Ebola panic after 'dropping dead with blood pouring from her nose and mouth' did NOT have virus

  • Tests on her body came back negative for the virus, according to the New York City Department of Health
  • The FDNY activated their Special Operations and Hazmat units in response to a death in Brooklyn on Tuesday afternoon
  • A woman dropped dead at hair salon with blood 'coming from her nose and mouth' said an eyewitness 
  • The woman traveled from Guinea three weeks ago and was being monitored for Ebola said a worker at the salon 
  • She was at the salon visiting the owner and believed to have died of a suspected heart attack  

By Chris Spargo for MailOnline

Published: 20:54 EST, 18 November 2014 | Updated: 09:15 EST, 19 November 2014

A woman who dropped dead at a New York salon with blood pouring from her nose and mouth did not have Ebola, tests confirmed today.

The Fire Department sent in Hazmat teams after the woman, who returned to the U.S. from Guinea three weeks ago, died at Amy Professional African Hair Braiding in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn on Tuesday.

Tests on her body came back negative for the virus, the New York City Department of Health told MailOnline on Wednesday. Her identity has not been released. 

An eyewitness who saw the woman, who was reportedly 40 years old, said there was blood coming from her 'face, nose and mouth'.

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The body of a victim who dropped dead at a hair salon is removed in Brooklyn, New York on Tuesday. Tests confirmed on Wednesday that she did not have the virus

The body of a victim who dropped dead at a hair salon is removed in Brooklyn, New York on Tuesday. Tests confirmed on Wednesday that she did not have the virus

FDNY activated the Special Operations and Hazmat units after the woman, who had recently traveled from Guinea, dropped dead in Brooklyn on Tuesday, raising the alert of a suspected new Ebola case 

FDNY activated the Special Operations and Hazmat units after the woman, who had recently traveled from Guinea, dropped dead in Brooklyn on Tuesday, raising the alert of a suspected new Ebola case 

An eyewitness reported that a woman had blood coming from her 'face, nose and mouth' at the hair salon 

An eyewitness reported that a woman had blood coming from her 'face, nose and mouth' at the hair salon 

A Hazmat team arrived back at the establishment late on Tuesday to run more tests, setting up in a building across the street

A Hazmat team arrived back at the establishment late on Tuesday to run more tests, setting up in a building across the street

A worker at Amy Professional African Hair Braiding said they were still open for business on Tuesday evening despite the incident.

'Everything is business as normal,' a male worker, who asked to not be identified, told MailOnline.

He also said the woman, believed to be in her early forties, was visiting the owner of the establishment, Amy Cisse, and confirmed she had recently traveled from West Africa.

'She was in Guinea three weeks ago and they were monitoring her,' he said. 

'We were told she had had a heart attack, but now we are hearing that she may be tested for Ebola.' 

NEW YORK CITY EBOLA QUARANTINE GUIDELINES

  • Individuals who arrive back in New York City from West Africa after COMING IN DIRECT CONTACT with someone who had Ebola, but are asymptomatic, will be subject to a 21-day home quarantine starting with the date the person last had contact with the infected individual. They will be monitored at least twice daily by a member of the New York State Health Department, and these visits will be unannounced
  • Individuals who arrive back in New York City from West Africa after HAVING NO DIRECT CONTACT with someone who had Ebola and are asymptomatic will be evaluated on a case by case basis and not immediately subjected to a quarantine.  They will have their health monitored twice daily by a member of the New York State Health Department for 21 days

The woman, who was born in Guinea according to the salon worker, was not a health care worker, and therefore not subject to the 21-day home quarantine introduced by New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo in October.

As of Sunday, the New York Department of Health was monitoring 293 people as part of its Ebola precautions. 

On Tuesday evening, a Hazmat team was back on the scene to run tests, setting up across the street from the hair salon.

It was not clear why Amy Professional Hair Braiding would not have been evacuated until it was certain the woman did not have Ebola. 

The salon was decontaminated late on Tuesday by a Hazmat crew.

According to a source who was on the scene, the incident occurred just after 3pm on Tuesday.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene by EMTs.

Costa, a man who works in the building next door, said: 'We were in the building and all the sudden the other owner came from the store and he said somebody dropped dead in their store.'

He then said he ran in there to find a woman laying on the floor.

When asked what she was bleeding from, Costa said: 'Face, nose, mouth, everything.' 

FDNY crews changed into Hazmat gear outside the salon before heading in, for what they referred to as a 'fever travel illness'.

The FDNY said it was a 'clean scene' with no bodily fluids leaving the woman's body.

An FDNY memo in October reportedly instructed all personnel to use more vague terms when discussing Ebola, such as 'fever travel incident'.

The New York Department of Health was on the scene to take blood from the woman. Those officials, along with firefighters and workers from the Medical Examiner's office, were all decontaminated.

No one from Amy Professional Hair Braiding was decontaminated said the worker who spoke to MailOnline on Tuesday evening. 

NYPD officers gather to talk to witnesses outside of Amy Professional Hair Braiding in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn, New York on Tuesday

NYPD officers gather to talk to witnesses outside of Amy Professional Hair Braiding in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn, New York on Tuesday

NYPD and FDNY officers cordoned off the area outside the salon on Tuesday night as the decontamination process got underway

NYPD and FDNY officers cordoned off the area outside the salon on Tuesday night as the decontamination process got underway

The woman who died suddenly at the salon had been visiting the owner, Amy Cisse (pictured above)

The woman who died suddenly at the salon had been visiting the owner, Amy Cisse (pictured above)

A New York City official briefed on the woman's death told ABC News on Tuesday: 'Earlier today, an individual who came to the U.S. from one of the three Ebola-impacted nations in West Africa within last three weeks died of an apparent non-Ebola condition.

'This individual at no time showed any symptoms of Ebola. However, due to travel history and an abundance of caution, an Ebola test will be performed on this individual's remains. Test results are expected later tonight or early tomorrow morning.'

The New York City Health Department said that the last time the woman was checked, she did not show any symptoms of Ebola.

Fire Department members could be seen changing into their Hazmat gear outside the hair salon in Brownsville, Brooklyn

Fire Department members could be seen changing into their Hazmat gear outside the hair salon in Brownsville, Brooklyn

FDNY referred to the death as a 'fever travel incident',  and claimed it was a 'clean scene,' with no fluids leaving the woman's body

FDNY referred to the death as a 'fever travel incident',  and claimed it was a 'clean scene,' with no fluids leaving the woman's body

Individuals could be seen walking in and out of Amy Professional African Hair Braiding wearing no protection at all.

Last week, Dr Craig Spencer was declared free of Ebola at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan after contracting the virus while treating patients in Guinea.

He was the first, and only, case of Ebola to date in New York City.

On Monday, Dr Martin Salia, a Maryland resident who was flown back to the U.S. after contracting Ebola in Sierra Leone, died at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

The outbreak of Ebola in Guinea began in March and has resulted in over 1,100 deaths to date.

The CDC has already recommended that all Americans avoid nonessential travel to the African country.

Libera, Guinea and Sierra Leone have been ravaged by the Ebola outbreak which began late last year with more than 5,000 people dying from the disease in these three countries, according to the latest WHO figures.   

Ebola-free: Dr Craig Spencer (left, with NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio) was the first and only person with a confirmed case of the deadly virus in New York City, and was declared Ebola-free last week

Ebola-free: Dr Craig Spencer (left, with NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio) was the first and only person with a confirmed case of the deadly virus in New York City, and was declared Ebola-free last week

Tragic: Dr Martin Salia (above), a surgeon who lived in Maryland and was working in Sierra Leone, was flown back to the U.S. for treatment when he contracted the disease. The doctor passed away on Monday

Tragic: Dr Martin Salia (above), a surgeon who lived in Maryland and was working in Sierra Leone, was flown back to the U.S. for treatment when he contracted the disease. The doctor passed away on Monday

Guinea's health workers wash a colleague at the ebola transit center in Forecariah. Current WHO figures revealed there have been 1166 deaths from Ebola in the West African country

Guinea's health workers wash a colleague at the ebola transit center in Forecariah. Current WHO figures revealed there have been 1166 deaths from Ebola in the West African country

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