Ebola News: Ottawa patient tests negative for ebola

Trevor Greenway/Metro The Ottawa Hospital's General campus

A patient in Ottawa who had developed Ebola-like symptoms after returning from West Africa has tested negative for the virus.

The patient had been in isolation at the Ottawa Hospital since Sunday because he or she had developed symptoms similar to Ebola, health officials said.

Results of a test sent to the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg came back negative, according to a statement by Ottawa Public Health.

The patient will no longer be kept in isolation, the health agency said.

The patient had recently travelled to West Africa, where the virus has claimed more than 4,000 lives, according to the World Health Organization.

Protocol for suspected Ebola infections involves putting the patient in isolation and having staff wear protective equipment while dealing with the patient. The Ottawa Hospital says it was following these protocols, which are in place in order to protect the public, hospital staff and other patients and visitors at the hospital.

Meanwhile, a patient in Belleville, Ont. remains in isolation over concerns that he or she may have contracted Ebola during a brief stopover in Sierra Leone.

The patient was placed in isolation moments after arriving at Belleville General Hospital Sunday night.