Israel places patient in isolation over suspected Ebola infection

Israeli authorities are investigating a suspected case of Ebola after a 20-year-old man sought medical attention on August 31 with symptoms raising concerns about possible infection.

According to local media reports, an initial examination returned negative results. However, the man was placed in a specialised isolation ward as a precaution.

He will remain there until the results of follow-up tests are available.

Ebola disease is a rare but severe illness caused by viruses of the Orthoebolavirus genus, with outbreaks occurring predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa; the disease was first identified in 1976 in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The virus is believed to have an animal origin, with African fruit bats considered possible reservoir hosts, and can then spread among people through direct contact with infected bodily fluids.

Major outbreaks have occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Sudan, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, while imported cases have also been recorded in countries outside Africa.

By Jeyhun Aghazada