SYDNEY: Australian authorities said yesterday a teenager was in isolation in hospital and undergoing tests for Ebola after she developed a fever following her arrival from Guinea.
The 18-year-old, who arrived in Australia 11 days ago with eight other family members, had been in home quarantine in Brisbane before she developed a ‘raised temperature’ overnight, Queensland state chief health officer Jeannette Young said late yesterday.
She was now in isolation at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, with the results of the first test for Ebola to be known early today. A second test would be taken in three days, Young added, saying it was unlikely she was suffering from Ebola.
“She didn’t have any known contact with anyone that was sick with Ebola virus disease, but she did come from an area that had a reasonably large number of cases,” Young told a press conference, adding that the young woman was not a healthcare worker. Young would not specify the teenager’s nationality, but said she was moving to Australia permanently and authorities had been informed of her family’s arrival several days before the flight. — AFP