Possible Ebola Virus In Toronto: Should Canada Be Worried

Gabriel Tambe-Takang, Toronto

 Canada is in panic ever since the first case of Ebola cropped up months ago. Tracking Ebola has become something of a Canadian obsession— and not a healthy one. An unidentified patient is currently being tested at a University Health Network facility in Toronto for what doctors call a possible Ebola virus since Thursday October 2, 2014. Cameroon Concord learnt that the said patient has fever and had recently travelled from West African where the outbreak has reportedly killed over 3,300 people this year. According to Dr. Michael Gardam, the director of infection prevention and control at UHN, while the patient has been isolated to prevent any contamination, hospital staffs have been asked to employ personal protective equipment during their contact with the patient. Although doctors claim that it is “very unlikely” that the patient has the oft-deadly virus, the news is not very welcome in Toronto as the virus is now considered  one of the most deadly killer disease. Canada and the U.S. are now taking all necessary measures to ensure that those who show signs of the virus after travelling from West Africa are immediately isolated and tested. In the month of August, a Nigerian was quickly isolated and tested a hospital in Brampton Ontario after he presented with flu-like symptoms immediately after his travel from Nigeria. His test was negative. In the United States, a man from Liberia is also being tested for the Ebola virus in a hospital in Dallas after his recent travel from Liberia.