The patient had traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, the health ministry said. Workers are racing to trace those who may have had contact.

That is good news for patients, but officials fear it will make controlling the spread of the disease harder.

The State Department is taking over much of the control of global health initiatives, for which critics say the department does not have the expertise.

Trials are beginning on several drugs that have shown promise in preliminary studies against the virus that is causing the current outbreak.

The Bundibugyo virus, a little known type, previously had caused just two small outbreaks. Now it’s at the center of a rapidly widening epidemic in Africa.

The types of Ebola and hantavirus worrying officials are very different from the species identified decades ago, raising new questions about how to respond.