A patient suspected of having ebola was admitted to Ljubljana's main hospital Thursday, in what is the first suspected case of the deadly virus in Slovenia detected by health workers.
The suspected patient is a Slovenian citizens who recently returned from an ebola-affected region of Africa with a severe fever, UKC Ljubljana officials told the press on Thursday.
Appropriate proceedings have been launched based on a protocol that demands action when a person returns from an ebola area with fever, said Alenka Kraigher, the head of the communicable disease division at the Public Health Institute.
The patient has been tested for the disease and preliminary results are to be released later today. According to protocol, the suspicion will be rejected if tests are negative for three days.
At this point the patient is not displaying signs of the disease beyond having fever, noted Franc Strle, the head of the infectious diseases department.
Strle refused to disclose any personal details about the patient, but he did reveal it was not a health worker.
The patient is now in an isolated room at the infectious diseases department.
The health officials said all precautionary measures have been taken and all protocols are in accordance with WHO standards.
The health workers have been trained to use protective gear and all nurses and doctors in touch with the patient and are using full-body suits.
Source: The Slovenia Times
