A patient has been quarantined at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital as a precaution after they exhibited some — but not all — of the signs of Ebola.
The patient recently returned from a trip to West Africa and had a fever.
The hospital issued a statement on Saturday morning saying that it had quarantined the patient as a precaution, although they believe the chances of the person actually having Ebola are quite slim.
Dr. Karl Weiss, chief of the hospital’s infectious diseases department, said the patient’s tests are being run through a lab in Winnipeg. He said the results would be announced as soon as they are returned to Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital.
"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.