ABOVE: Health officials believe the risk of Ebola in this case is low, but are taking all possible precautions just in case
TORONTO – Hospital officials are monitoring two patients – one in Ottawa, and one in Belleville, Ont. – because they’ve developed Ebola-like symptoms after returning from West Africa.
(Update: On Monday night, the Ottawa Hospital said the patient tested negative. READ MORE: Ottawa patient tests negative for Ebola)
A patient has been in isolation at the Ottawa Hospital since Sunday. The person’s identity, age and gender hasn’t been released to protect his or her identity, the hospital says.
The patient arrived in hospital and was immediately isolated when officials learned he or she visited a West African country.
Samples from the patient have been sent to Canada’s National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg for testing. The results are expected later on Monday.
READ MORE: How does Ebola spread? 5 things you need to know
“All necessary precautions are being taken to ensure the safety of other patients, visitors and hospital staff. Strict infection prevention and control measures in Ontario hospitals means the risk of Ebola to other patients and health care workers is minimal,” Dr. Jonathan Angel, the hospital’s infectious disease specialist, said in a statement.
In Belleville, the patient was placed in isolation within minutes once he or she arrived at Belleville General Hospital’s emergency room Sunday night.
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The patient, who also cannot be identified, was in Sierra Leone for a short time during a stopover. The hospital said that the probability of the patient having Ebola is very low.
Test results and samples were sent to the International Centre for Infectious Diseases in Winnipeg with findings expected in up to 36 hours.
READ MORE: Questions and answers about the U.S. Ebola case
“Given his symptoms and that he was not exposed to any ill people during a very short stopover in West Africa, it is extremely unlikely that he would test positive for Ebola. We expect he has any number of diseases common when people travel,” Dr. Dick Zoutman said in a statement. He’s the Quinte Health Care’s chief of staff.
Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF) is one of the most notorious viruses known to mankind and its marked by the sudden onset of intense weakness, fever, muscle pain, sore throat and headaches.
Victims’ symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, multi-system organ failure, and internal and external bleeding. In its final stages, some patients bleed from their eyes, nose, ears, mouth or rectum.
READ MORE: Why health officials say the Ebola epidemic won’t spread into Canada
“There are certainly diseases that are easier to catch than Ebola, but there are very few that are as scary,” according to Dr. Michael Gardam, director of infection prevention and control at Toronto’s University Health Network.
“It’s scary. It’s had movies made about it and it’s the ultimate scary viral infectious disease that people have heard about for decades,” Gardam told Global News.
It’s spreading through West Africa, specifically Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Liberia and Guinea. But isolated cases have been diagnosed in Texas and Spain.
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