Suspected Ebola patient leaves Turkey after being diagnosed with Malaria

ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency

Stella Omorowa left Turkey for Barcelona, as Istanbul was a connecting stop for her flight. DHA Photo

A Nigerian woman, who was taken to the hospital on the suspicion being inflicted by the Ebola virus, left Turkey after leaving the hospital Aug. 14, as doctors diagnosed her with Malaria.

The 34-year-old woman, Stella Omorowa, created panic when she fell ill to fever and vomited during a Turkish Airlines flight from Lagos to Istanbul on Aug. 12. She was taken to the hospital along with her 4-year-old son, prompting authorities to take measures against a possible case of the Ebola virus.  

Following medical tests, Omorowa was diagnosed with Malaria, which is also a common disease in African countries. She left Turkey for Barcelona, as Istanbul was a connecting stop for her flight.
Omorowa said she tried to explain she did not have the Ebola virus at the hospital.

“It was later determined that I contracted Malaria following the examinations. I’ve started the treatment for Malaria,” she said before leaving the country. “I am going to Barcelona now. I am happy.”

Ömer Sarılar, the manager of Haseki Training and Research Hospital, where Omorowa received treatment, said doctors diagnosed her with Malaria within six hours of being taken to the hospital.

“It is said in [medical] literature that Ebola and Malaria do not occur at the same time. Despite that, we took a blood sample and sent it to a virology laboratory in Germany. In 24-hours it was determined that the patient did not have the Ebola virus,” he said.

The virus is spread by direct contact with blood or bodily fluids from an infected person. Ebola cannot be spread like the flu through casual contact or breathing the same air as someone who is infected.

The Ebola virus has killed 1,013 people and infected another 1,848, as the latest data from the World Health Organization shows.