Suspected Ebola patient held at Karachi airport

A suspected Ebola patient was detained by health officials at Karachi airport Monday.

According to media reports, the 47-year-old passenger arrived in Karachi from Liberia via Doha and appeared to be in a poor health condition.

After a brief medical assessment, the suspected patient was sent to the Jinnah Hospital, while his blood samples were sent to Islamabad for testing, The Nation reported.

Earlier in Faisalabad, a patient suspected to be affected by Ebola was later found to be affected instead, by hepatitis C and also by dengue hemorrhagic fever and died.

The Ebola virus has infected over 15,000 people in West Africa since it was first reported in Guinea in March, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Although the number of cases in Liberia appear to be falling, Sierra Leone and Guinea are witnessing a steep rise in the number of people being newly infected. Mali, on the other hand, is currently fighting its second outbreak.

The Ebola disease, formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. It is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in humans through direct contact with bodily fluids of an infected patient.

Symptoms of the disease typically start between two days and three weeks after contracting the virus.

In the beginning, the symptoms may range from fever, sore throat, muscle pain and headache.

Then, vomiting and diarrhea usually follow, along with decreased function of the liver and kidneys. Some of those affected may also begin to bleed both internally and externally.