A person in Ontario tested negative for Ebola after returning from Ethiopia with symptoms that could match several illnesses, Canada’s chief public health official said Friday. Officials said the risk of Ebola in Canada remains low.
Dr. Joss Reimer said the patient was tested as a precaution because they were sick and may have been exposed to the virus spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She said testing is focused on people with symptoms, not all travellers from affected regions.
Early Ebola symptoms include fever, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, and sore throat, which are common in many other illnesses.
Canada has also introduced new border screening measures. These include extra staff at major entry points and questions about travel history and symptoms. Quarantine officers will assess travellers who are flagged during screening.
Reimer said decisions about travel bans are made by the federal cabinet. She added that any response depends on how the outbreak develops and whether it spreads further.
The World Health Organization says the risk in affected regions is very high, but the global risk remains low. Officials report hundreds of suspected cases and deaths in the current outbreak.
Reimer also mentioned a separate case of hantavirus in Canada linked to a cruise ship outbreak. No new cases have been reported among people in isolation, and most remain stable or symptom-free.
