The health of an Italian doctor who contracted Ebola in west Africa is deteriorating, the specialist clinic in Rome treating him said Saturday.
The 50-year-old infectious diseases medic -- who has not been publicly identified -- was repatriated on Tuesday from Sierra Leone with a fever and given an experimental drug to try to combat the often-deadly virus.
But since Friday there has been a "progressive aggravation" of the man's condition, the Lazzaro Spallanzani Institute treating him said in a statement.
"He has started to have gastro-intestinal problems (nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea). He has a high fever, currently over 39 degrees Celsius," it said.
The doctor -- who became the first Italian to be infected with Ebola while working for an Italian medical association fighting the epidemic in Africa -- was not showing signs of bleeding at this stage, however.
Ebola, a disease transmitted through the bodily fluids of infected people, can result in death from uncontrollable bleeding and organ failure. The current Ebola epidemic in west Africa -- the worst ever recorded -- has so far killed around 5,700 people.
The health of an Italian doctor who contracted Ebola in west Africa is deteriorating, the specialist clinic in Rome treating him said Saturday.
The 50-year-old infectious diseases medic — who has not been publicly identified — was repatriated on Tuesday from Sierra Leone with a fever and given an experimental drug to try to combat the often-deadly virus.
But since Friday there has been a “progressive aggravation” of the man’s condition, the Lazzaro Spallanzani Institute treating him said in a statement.
“He has started to have gastro-intestinal problems (nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea). He has a high fever, currently over 39 degrees Celsius,” it said.
The doctor — who became the first Italian to be infected with Ebola while working for an Italian medical association fighting the epidemic in Africa — was not showing signs of bleeding at this stage, however.
Ebola, a disease transmitted through the bodily fluids of infected people, can result in death from uncontrollable bleeding and organ failure. The current Ebola epidemic in west Africa — the worst ever recorded — has so far killed around 5,700 people.
