October 02, 2014 - 8:41 PM
TORONTO - A patient in Toronto is being tested for Ebola, but a hospital official says it's very unlikely the person has the virus.
A spokeswoman for the University Health Network, which consists of four hospitals, says the patient had a fever and a travel history from West Africa.
Gillian Howard, the Vice President of Public Affairs, says the test has been ordered as a precaution.
She says the patient is in isolation and the health workers involved are using protective gear until the test results have returned.
There have been several people tested in Canada for Ebola in the past several weeks, but none have had the virus.
Ebola's symptoms are similar to a number of other illnesses.
But the recent positive test of Ebola in a person in Texas has heightened fears about the possibility of the virus spreading from West Africa, where more than 3,000 have died.
The tests on the Toronto patient must be sent to the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2014