A British man has died of causes very similar to the Ebola virus. The man who died yesterday in Macedonia in an hotel was suspected to have died of the virus.
Macedonia authorities have sealed off the hotel and placed people who may have been in contact with him under quarantine.
According to Reuters, the man had arrived from Britain on Oct. 2 and had been rushed to hospital at 3 p.m. on Thursday, where he died several hours later. Dr. Jovanka Kostovska of the ministry’s commission for infectious diseases said the man had been suffering from fever, vomiting and internal bleeding, and that his condition had deteriorated rapidly.
Amid fears that the disease might spread in Europe, Kostovska told a news conference:
“These are all symptoms of Ebola, which raises suspicions with this patient.”
It was unclear, however, whether the man had recently been to West Africa, where Ebola has killed nearly 4,000 people since March in the largest outbreak on record.
“Initially we had information that he had been to Nigeria, but then his friend told us they hadn’t been anywhere,” said Kostovska.
A government spokesman said later:
“Medical authorities have informed us that up till now they cannot confirm whether the patient who died had Ebola. But as a precaution, based on the protocol of the World Health Organisation, medical authorities are taking all measures as if the patient had been suffering from a highly infectious disease.”