With a quick glance at Dr. Craig Spencer 's work history , it is apparent he has an affinity for helping those in need . His work has taken him from hospital emergency rooms in New York to the rural clinics in Africa , where he has worked with limited resources to improve medical care . And now that work in Guinea , where he reportedly was helping treat Ebola patients , has put him at risk . Spencer , 33 , tested positive for Ebola on Thursday , a law enforcement official briefed on the matter told CNN . The official spoke on condition of anonymity . While authorities have not publicly identified Spencer , they confirmed earlier Thursday that a Doctors Without Borders physician who recently returned to New York from West Africa exhibited symptoms of Ebola and was undergoing testing . `` Off to Guinea with Doctor Without Borders , '' Spencer wrote on his Facebook page in mid-September . `` Please support organizations that are sending support or personnel to West Africa , and help combat one of the worst public health and humanitarian disasters in recent history . '' He also posted a picture of himself wearing protective gear . His last post was on October 16 , and it was a check-in from 9Hotel Central in Brussels , Belgium . The Facebook page appeared to have been taken down Thursday afternoon . According to a statement released by Doctors Without Borders , the physician -- who it did not identify -- engaged in `` regular health monitoring . '' The doctor checked his temperature twice a day since departing Guinea , said Dr. Mary Bassett , the commissioner of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene . The doctor showed his `` first actual symptoms '' on Thursday morning , she said . Those symptoms included a high fever . He was then taken to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan for testing . Bassett did not identify the doctor . A law enforcement official previously told CNN the doctor began showing symptoms Wednesday night . The doctor 's fiancee and two close friends have been quarantined as a precaution , Bassett said . Spencer , according to his social media posts , claims Detroit as his hometown . He graduated from Wayne State University School of Medicine in 2008 , and completed his residency at New York Hospital Queens , according a listing on the New York -- Presbyterian Hospital website . Spencer is board certified in emergency medicine . `` The physician is a dedicated humanitarian on the staff of New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center who went to an area of medical crisis to help a desperately underserved population , '' the hospital said in a statement , without directly identifying Spencer . `` He is a committed and responsible physician who always puts his patients first . He has not been to work at our hospital and has not seen any patients at our hospital since his return from overseas . Our thoughts are with him , and we wish him all the best at this time . '' Spencer began work on a number of projects in Africa in recent years , including in Rwanda where he worked to help develop an emergency care teaching curriculum . He later worked in southern Burundi on an infant mortality survey and , more recently , he worked on a neurocysticercosis outbreak investigation -- an examination of seizures and epilepsy -- in the Democratic Republic of Congo . According to his professional profile on LinkedIn , he claims fluency in Chinese , French , Spanish and Greek . He attended Henan University in China from 2006 to 2007 , where he studied Chinese language and literature , according to his profile .
Dr. Craig Spencer showed first symptoms on Thursday , an official says . Spencer , 33 , was working in Guinea , helping treat Ebola patients . On Facebook , Spencer asked people to support organizations fighting Ebola . He was taken to the hospital after developing a fever , the official says .