Dr. Paul Biddinger, the hospital’s Director of Emergency Preparedness, said the patient meets the CDC definition of a possibly infected "person under investigation."
The patient is reportedly in stable condition and good spirits.
Biddinger declined to provide further details on the patient, including his travel history, potential exposure to others and location in the hospital. He added that there is no reason for panic.
"We feel extremely confident that all of our patients, all of our staff, all of our visitors are completely safe," he said.
Biddinger did not give an exact timetable for test results, but said a diagnosis with a definitive answer could take several days.
Massachusetts General Hospital sent a message to all of its inpatients and staff with the information shared during the press conference. While an exact location of the patients was not announced, Biddinger said the hospital is using a special isolated area with a team of nurses, physicians and infection control staff.
The MGH has for months been planning to treat people with possible Ebola infection, undergoing training exercises to simulate evaluation and management procedures.
