Skip to main content

This undated file image made available by the CDC shows the Ebola Virus.The Associated Press

A patient in Toronto is being tested for Ebola, but a hospital official says it is very unlikely the person has the virus.

A spokeswoman for the University Health Network, which consists of four hospitals, said the patient had a fever and a history of travel from West Africa.

EBOLA: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Gillian Howard, the vice-president of public affairs, said the test was ordered as a precaution.

She said the patient is in isolation and the health workers involved are using protective gear until the test results have returned.

Several people have been tested in Canada for Ebola in the past several weeks, but none have had the virus.

Ebola's symptoms are similar to a number of other illnesses.

The recent positive test of Ebola in a person in Texas has heightened fears about the possibility of the virus spreading from West Africa, where more than 3,000 have died.

The tests on the Toronto patient must be sent to the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg.

Interact with The Globe