A U.S. citizen is undergoing series of tests for Ebola in Ghana after he fell ill following a recent trip to Guinea and Sierra Leone.
The patient, who has not been named, is in quarantine at a clinic in Accra, the Ministry of Health said.
The U.S. embassy spokesperson in Ghana said that it had been informed about the U.S. citizen but refused to reveal more details about the Ebola victim.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report, the Ebola outbreak has taken lives of 467 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone since February. This is the largest and deadliest ever outbreak in West Africa. A previous suspected case of Ebola in Ghana tested negative in April.
The major problem the authorities are facing is convincing the families of the Ebola victims from stopping them in giving them traditional funerals. In the traditional funerals, the dead bodies are manual washed. Authorities say this is dangerous as washing can spread the infection. The dead are instead meant to be buried by health staff wearing protective gear, authorities said.
Ebola: The Fatal disease
Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a fatal disease contracted by humans and nonhuman primates like chimpanzees monkeys and gorillas. Virus Ebolavirus is responsible for causing this disease.
The first cases of Ebola were found in 1976 in Nzara (Sudan) and in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The original host of the disease is unknown but researchers consider animals, mainly bats, as its source.
Symptoms of Ebola
Experts say, the symptoms of Ebola start appearing between 2 and 21 days after initial contact. The common symptoms include fever, weakness, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea rash poor kidney and liver function. In rare cases, patient can also experience internal and external bleeding.
There is no known cure or vaccine for Ebola. Currently treatments and vaccines are under development but most have not been tested in humans. Patients suffering from this disease usually suffer dehydration. Hence, they are given oral or intravenous fluid containing electrolytes. Patients must be quarantined.