A girl who was placed in precautionary isolation at an Ottawa-area hospital has tested negative for the Ebola virus.
The girl was showing possible symptoms of the virus following a recent trip to Sierra Leone in West Africa, prompting her placement in isolation Friday morning, and the submission of her blood for lab tests.
In a statement issued Saturday afternoon, the Karelle Kennedy of Outaouis region public health confirmed that the samples sent to the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg tested negativefor Ebola.
The girl remains under observation, in stable condition.
Kennedy said Friday the girl was not in contact with health groups or any infected persons during her trip to Africa.
People can only contract Ebola through direct contact with an infected person’s blood or other body fluids.
In recent weeks, one patient at a Montreal hospital, and one at a Brampton, Ont. hospital have both tested negative for Ebola.
The current Ebola outbreak, which is the deadliest ever, has killed more than 1,500 people in West Africa, according to the World Health Organization.
