TORONTO — An Ontario resident who recently travelled to East Africa is being tested for Ebola as a precautionary measure, according to the province’s Ministry of Health.In a statement to CBC News on Wednesday, the ministry said the individual is currently being assessed in hospital and is being tested for several infectious diseases, including Ebola, following travel to a region experiencing an active outbreak.“Out of an abundance of caution, the patient is being tested for a variety of infectious diseases, including Ebola,” the ministry said.Officials said infection prevention and control measures have been implemented and emphasized that there are no confirmed Ebola cases in Ontario at this time.The ministry did not disclose the patient’s location or whether the individual is experiencing symptoms..The development comes days after the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern.According to the WHO, there have been approximately 600 suspected cases and at least 139 suspected deaths linked to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. Health authorities in the affected regions confirmed the outbreak last week.The Bundibugyo strain is considered rare and currently has no approved vaccine or treatment.Ebola is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected individuals or contaminated surfaces. Symptoms can include fever, headache, muscle pain, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and unexplained bleeding or bruising.WHO officials say the full scale of the outbreak remains unclear. The virus is believed to have circulated undetected for several weeks after initial cases tested negative for the more common Ebola Zaire strain.Anaïs Legand, a technical officer with the WHO emergencies program, said investigators believe the outbreak may have begun months earlier than initially thought.Researchers at the London-based MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis have estimated that the actual number of infections may exceed 1,000, suggesting significant underreporting.This marks the 17th recorded Ebola outbreak in Congo. Previous outbreaks have largely involved the more common Ebola Zaire strain, for which vaccines and treatments are available
