Health Ministry Says Suspected Ebola Patient Tested Negative After Congo Return

The Health Ministry said laboratory tests for a patient hospitalized after returning from the Democratic Republic of the Congo were negative for Ebola. The testing followed professional procedures and accepted international guidelines for high-risk infectious diseases, and the ministry said Israel currently has no confirmed Ebola case. It said Ebola is not airborne and spreads through direct contact with symptomatic patients or their blood, bodily fluids or secretions. The ministry continues monitoring the outbreak in Congo and maintaining health-system preparedness, while advising travelers who develop fever or unusual symptoms within 21 days of return to stay home and call Kol Habriut at *5400.