South Korean health authorities said Friday they have quarantined a Nigerian national with high fever as a precautionary move as they check to see whether the person has been infected with the Ebola virus.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said they are conducting detailed tests on the man, but judging by clinical specimens and his symptoms, it seems unlikely that he has contracted the deadly hemorrhagic fever. The highly contagious illness is sweeping across some parts of Western Africa, including Nigeria, and has claimed thousands of lives.
The KCDC said the man arrived in the country on Thursday via a flight that took off from Doha, Qatar. Because his body temperature reached 38.2 degrees Celsius on arrival and he did not clearly state why he wanted to enter the country, he was not allowed in the country by immigration officials. He was then put on another plane heading for Doha early Friday, but the jet had to return to Incheon International Airport after he again experienced a high fever.
The public health and safety agency also said they have checked the man's background.
"The man is a resident of Aba, a Nigerian city 500 kilometers from Lagos, where Ebola cases have been reported," a health official said. He said more conclusive test results will come out in the evening.