Craig Spencer, a doctor who recently returned from treating Ebola patients in Guinea tested positive for the Ebola virus today, according to the NY Times.

Spencer is reportedly the first patient to be diagnosed with the Ebola virus in New York City. He was reportedly rushed to Bellevue Hospital on Thursday and has been placed in isolation while health care researchers have begun the search of finding anyone he might have come into contact with since he's returned.

Mayor Bill de Blasio reportedly stated during a press conference before the diagnosis of the Ebola virus was made that Dr. Spencer had detailed his activities over the last few days to health workers.

"Our understanding is that very few people were in direct contact with him," the mayor stated.

As the case of Dr. Spencer surfaces, the question of how the Ebola virus spreads has arisen as New York City is not only crowded, but filled with opportunities to face close contact with people on subways and other public transportation methods.

Evidence from this epidemic as well as prior Ebola outbreaks have reportedly suggested that the virus cannot be transmitted through a cough or sneeze, stated Dr. Armand Sprecher, a public health specialist with the aid organization Doctors Without Borders, according to the media outlet Webmd.

"If there were significant airborne transmission, we would see spontaneously generated cases that were not linked to a known case. There would be cases of casual transmission," Sprecher stated.

Experts have reportedly found that transmission of the virus invokes "significant exposure" with a very sick person or a dead body.

"The best evidence that we have suggests that the overwhelming route of transmission is through contact with contaminated fluids with broken skin of mucous membranes," stated Dr. Arjun Srinivasan.