A man has been rushed to a Queensland hospital in a suspected Ebola scare.
UPDATE: Gold Coast University Hospital now says it is “exceedingly unlikely” that the 27-year-old man being treated has the Ebola virus but the patient will remain isolated.
EARLIER: According to AAP, a 27-year-old man was taken to Gold Coast University hospital by paramedics in full protective gear at about 7:40am on Thursday after displaying symptoms of the virus.
News Corp reports the man has been seriously ill for two days and has recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo – a West African nation that is currently experiencing its seventh Ebola outbreak since 1976.
Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service acting chief executive Damian Green told reporters that more details would be revealed as they come to hand.
“Gold Coast Health can confirm a patient has been transferred to Gold Coast University Hospital after being identified by paramedics as having symptoms of Ebola virus,” he said in a statement.
“Gold Coast Health is taking necessary precautions and has isolated the patient, who is currently being assessed.
“Gold Coast Heath has processes in place to safely manage such circumstances,” said Green.
There have been more than 4200 cases of Ebola. The World Health Organisation reports that in the 2014 Ebola outbreak nearly all cases of EVD are a result of human-to-human transmission and the survival rate of 47 per cent is higher than previous outbreaks.
Symptoms of Ebola
Those who have contracted EVD usually have a fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, a rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.
People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus. The incubation period is two to 21 days.
