West African Woman in Brisbane Hospital Isolation Tested Negative For Ebola

The West African woman who was kept in isolation in a Brisbane hospital has tested negative for the Ebola virus.

The 18-year-old woman arrived in Brisbane earlier in October with eight of her family members from Guinea. Expecting their arrival, Queensland Health put them in home quarantine since setting foot in Australia. The unnamed woman then developed a fever after a few days, and was admitted to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital to be kept in isolation.

Woman From West Africa in Ebola Isolation at Brisbane Hospital

On Wednesday, it was announced that the patient has been discharged after her test results proved that she is negative from the deadly virus.

“The second test result for the patient who was being tested for Ebola Virus Disease in the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital has come back negative and the patient has been discharged,” Queensland Health said in a statement. “The patient DOES NOT have Ebola Virus Disease.”

A spokeswoman told AAP that the woman will complete the 21-day incubation period for Ebola at home. After then, she is expected to return to her normal life.

She is the third person in the state to have been tested for Ebola. The others also tested negative.

She was one was of the 19 people from four families who agreed to home isolation in Queensland. The families came from African nation hit by the disease.

Earlier this week, the Australian government announced that it will suspend temporary visas and stop processing new visa applications from Ebola-infected countries in a bid to toughen its security border against Ebola.

The move has been called “too draconian” by Sierra Leone Information Minister Alpha Kanu, who said that Australia’s decision is “discriminatory.” Amnesty International also reportedly claims that the ban only makes sure people at risk were trapped in the crisis zone.

Australia Visa Ban Sparks Outrage in Ebola-Infected Countries