PORTO-NOVO, Benin
Benin has reported two cases of the deadly Ebola virus in the west African country.
Health Ministry official Aboubacar Moufiliatou said that a man suspected to have contracted the virus had died.
"Fortunately, blood samples have been taken from the deceased patient to examine if his death was linked with Ebola," Moufililatou told the state television Thursday night.
He said another man has been quarantined after showing symptoms of the deadly virus after returning from the Nigerian city of Lagos.
"Blood tests from the suspected case will be conducted in laboratories approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) to confirm or deny the infection," he said.
The WHO has declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa to be an "international public health emergency" as the virus reportedly continues to spread through the region in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
According to the latest WHO report, Ebola has killed 932 people in West Africa.
The Ebola virus, a contagious disease for which there is no known treatment or cure, can be transmitted to humans from wild animals and also spreads through contact with the body fluids of an infected person or someone who has died of the disease.
Medical doctors say common symptoms of Ebola include high fever and headaches, followed by bleeding from openings in the body.
By Sébastien Lokossou
englishnews@aa.com.tr
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