A Fort Hood soldier found dead Tuesday tested negative for Ebola, officials announced Tuesday evening.
Results of the preliminary tests of the 24-year-old man, whose name has not yet been released, are negative for the Ebola virus..
A more conclusive test is being run to confirm the initial results, according to the Army Times.
The soldier was among a group of 87 solders who had returned to the Texas post within the last week after spending two months in West Africa helping combat the Ebola outbreak.
“At this point, there is no indication of the Ebola virus disease,” Fort Hood officials said in a statement Tuesday.
The soldier was found dead in his off-post home a few miles away from Fort Hood. He had been granted an emergency leave — not medical leave — from Fort Hood and was self-monitoring for Ebola. A hazmat team from the nearby town of Killeen was on the scene Tuesday.
The U.S. has sent roughly 3,000 troops to West Africa to help with the outbreak of the deadly disease, but were said to be there in a supportive role, having no interactions with infected patients.
