A Saudi man who mysteriously fell ill after traveling to Sierra Leone is being tested for the Ebola virus after developing viral hemorrhagic fever. The 40-year-old man remains hospitalized in critical condition in an advanced isolation unit in Saudi Arabia, where there have been no cases of Ebola, the country's Health Ministry said Tuesday. Aside from Ebola, he is also being tested for other similar viruses that can cause bleeding. So far, initial tests have ruled out dengue fever, health officials said.
Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Khalid al-Marghalani told The Associated Press that the patient arrived to Saudi Arabia from Sierra Leone on Sunday night. He said officials are looking into his flight details, including the passenger list, and what relatives or other people he may have been in direct contact with since landing in the kingdom. Saudi Arabia in April said it would not issue visas this year for religious pilgrims from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea — the West African region where the Ebola death toll has topped almost 900 people.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
