Japanese woman who visited DR Congo tested for Ebola
TOKYO: A Japanese woman who recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo has undergone testing at a medical institution here in Tokyo for a possible Ebola virus infection, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.
The Saitama prefecture woman in her 70s was hospitalized at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases after developing a high fever on Saturday, Kyodo News Agency quoted the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare as saying.
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While confirmation of her diagnosis and whether she is infected with the virus, which can be deadly if it goes untreated, is not yet available, she has tested positive for influenza, the Ministry said.
She did not have any contact with Ebola-infected people during her stay in the African nation, it said.
The incubation period for Ebola is about three weeks and patients are not considered infectious until they develop symptoms, Efe news reported.
Government official however, convened a meeting in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's office late Saturday and ordered relevant authorities to coordinate efforts to prevent and quickly and effectively address possible secondary infections, public broadcaster NHK said.