The family members of the 51-year-old Romanian, suspected of having contracted Ebola, were put in quarantine at home in Ploiesti, Prahova County, announced on Sunday Health Minister Nicolae Banicioiu.
The man's family, namely his wife and their 15-year-old son have placed themselves under quarantine at home as a precaution, the minister confirmed to a local TV station, adding that the quarantine will last until a diagnosis is established.
The lady and the child do not have any symptoms at the moment, said Anca Dobrescu, head of local Public Health Department in Prahova County, adding that their dwelling was disinfected already with chlorine substances.
The patient is from Ploiesti, about 70 km north from Bucharest, capital city of Romania. He returned on July 25 from a business trip to Nigeria.
"At this moment, there is no confirmation of Ebola infection," said Banicioiu, adding that samples are being collected and they will be sent to the relevant institute in Germany, if data reveal an Ebola case suspicion.
The 51-year-old adult displaying symptoms of fever, nausea, vomiting and bloody diarrhea was admitted Sunday to the Emergency Care Unit of the Ploiesti County Hospital. The patient was soon transferred in special safety conditions to the "Matei Bals" National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Bucharest.
"The patient will undergo further medical testing," manager of the "Matei Bals" Institute, Prof. PhD Adrian Streinu Cercel was quoted as saying by local Agerpres News Agency, specifying that if data reveal an Ebola case suspicion, samples will be sent for confirmation in Frankfurt of Germany, the only laboratory to detect Ebola in Europe.
According to him, laboratory results from Germany might come in 3-7 days.
The manager stressed that there is no verdict of Ebola so far, and his institute is to make a series of analysis to exclude a number of other diseases that have similar symptoms.
If confirmed, the case will be the first one not only in Romania, but also in the Central and Eastern Europe.
Nigeria became the third African state, after Sierra Leone and Liberia, to declare a national emergency on Friday following the outbreak of Ebola cases in the region.