RIYADH - A Saudi Arabian man suspected of having contracted the Ebola virus during a recent business trip to Sierra Leone died early on Wednesday in Jeddah, the Health Ministry said.
Saudi authorities and international laboratories certified by the World Health Organization are testing samples from the man for Ebola and other diseases after he showed symptoms of viral haemorrhagic fever, the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said it was working to trace the man's route of travel and identify people he was in contact with.
Ebola is one of the deadliest diseases known in humans with a fatality rate of up to 90 percent. The death rate in the current outbreak in West Africa, which has killed close to 900, is around 60 percent.The kingdom has suspended pilgrimage visas from West African countries to counter the further possible spread of the disease.