Mogadishu, Jan 4 (IANS): The Somali government Saturday said there was an Ebola outbreak in the country, saying there were no cases of the disease there.
Health Minister Ali Mohamed Mohamud refuted media reports that there was a suspected Ebola case in the town of Buulo Sharey in the lower Shabelle region, reported Xinhua.
"As soon as we heard the rumours of a case of Ebola in Somalia, we acted quickly and decisively to isolate the alleged victim, a Somali citizen named Abdulkadir Jinow Barow, and those who had been in contact with him," he said.
Mohamud said it soon became apparent that the man was not infected by the Ebola virus. Nonetheless, he was moved to Mogadishu as a precautionary measure, and put through a series of tests by health ministry doctors.
"He has now been given the all clear and we can state categorically that there (was) no outbreak of Ebola in Somalia," the minister said.