Quarantine case at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital not Ebola
Hospital's infectious diseases department says precautions had to be taken even if chance of Ebola was slim
A patient who was quarantined at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in Montreal on Saturday after exhibiting some signs of Ebola has tested negative for the deadly virus.
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The patient had a fever after recently returning from a trip to West Africa.
The hospital issued a statement on Saturday morning saying that it had quarantined the patient as a precaution even though the chances of the person actually having Ebola were quite slim.
Dr. Karl Weiss, chief of the hospital’s infectious diseases department, said the patient’s tests were run through a specialized lab in Winnipeg.
"You can't take any chance, so this is what happened with someone who just returned from Guinea within the last 21 days, came to the hospital with fever and other general symptoms — non-specific symptoms — and because of that we have no choice but to put in place a certain protocol and make sure," Weiss said.
He would not reveal any details about the patient, citing doctor-patient confidentiality.
Public health officials said they are following the possible cases of Ebola in Quebec very closely and that they have asked the entire health care network to be vigilant in identifying signs of the viral infection.
The Ebola outbreak ravaging West Africa has so far killed 1,427 people, according to the World Health Organization.