Laboratory tests have not shown that a man hospitalized in Canada in serious condition suffers from Ebola, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Tuesday. There is no vaccine or cure for this disease.
Canadian authorities suspected that a man who had recently been to Liberia had brought this contagious disease to Canada. With a high fever and other symptoms, he was taken to a hospital in Saskatoon in western Canada. On Monday it was reported that his condition was critical.
So far, cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever have been confirmed in southern Guinea, on the border with Liberia and Sierra Leone. The WHO is concerned that the disease may also occur in these countries.
The virus has caused 59 deaths in Guinea since the beginning of the year, according to WHO. A total of 86 cases of Ebola fever have been reported there.
Five deaths were reported in northern Liberia from a suspected Ebola-like virus on Monday. The deceased recently returned from Guinea.
Experts from the Pasteur Institute from Dakar, the capital of Senegal, traveled to the capital of Guinea, Conakry. They conduct research to confirm or rule out cases of the virus. A team of epidemiologists from WHO and an anthropologist are also preparing for the trip. An additional laboratory was sent to Guinea by the European Union.
When the first cases appeared in Guinea, the samples had to be sent to France or Senegal in order to perform the tests.
In order to limit the spread of Ebola, the death rate of which can reach 90%, specialists were sent to its places of occurrence. They look for new cases and inform local communities about how to prevent the disease.
The WHO explained that it is not currently considering restrictions on traveling to Guinea. (PAP)