Indian health authorities have ruled out the possibility that a Japanese tourist suspected of contracting Ebola has the virus, the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo said Thursday.
India's health ministry came to the conclusion because the Japanese patient had no record of traveling to West Africa, where the Ebola outbreak is rampaging, and no history of contact with others carrying the disease, a Foreign Ministry official said.
Although the exact cause of the ailment remains unknown, the tourist's condition has improved since being hospitalized in Imphal, the capital of the eastern state of Manipur. The tourist had a fever and body aches, the Foreign Ministry official said.
Indian authorities apparently decided to screen the tourist for all possible infectious diseases, including Ebola, but decided not to test her for the deadly disease, concluding that there was no need.
The Foreign Ministry confirmed the information with Indian authorities via the Japanese Embassy on Tuesday night, according to the official, who declined to identify the tourist, citing privacy concerns.
The daily Hindu newspaper reported on Monday that a 27-year-old Japanese woman was suspected of having contracted Ebola, quoting doctors there as saying she had started showing symptoms consistent with the disease.
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