Health authorities say while Barbados remains Ebola free, two persons have tested positive here for malaria.
This was revealed this evening by Chief Medical Officer Dr Joy St John in a statement issued in response to what the officials said were persistent rumours of a suspected case of Ebola at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).
“Any rumour of an Ebola case in Barbados is untrue,” said the Ministry of Health in the statement issued late Monday evening via the Government Information Service (GIS).
However, the Chief Medical Officer did confirm that two persons, who had presented themselves at the QEH with fever, had tested positive for malaria.
While noting that the QEH had the capability for making such diagnoses, Dr St John assured that neither of the persons had a history of travel to countries in West Africa where the Ebola outbreak was ongoing nor had any contact with persons with Ebola.
“They [two malaria sufferers] are now in-patients at the QEH and are receiving treatment.
“Members of the public are reminded that malaria is not endemic in Barbados,” the statement added.
No further information was forthcoming at this stage.
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease. Symptoms typically include fever, fatigue, vomiting and headaches. In severe cases it can cause yellow skin, seizures, coma or death. These symptoms usually begin ten to 15 days after a person is bitten.