Suspected Ebola patient isolated at CHUM; isolation lifted after testing
A patient suspected of Ebola was briefly isolated at the CHUM on Thursday evening, but the hospital lifted precautions after evaluation.
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A patient with suspected Ebola was isolated at the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) on Thursday evening, but the hospital lifted the isolation after evaluation and confirmed Ebola protocols will not be activated.
Ellen Caracas, senior media relations advisor for CHUM, said the facility confirmed "the person potentially infected with Ebola virus was being evaluated at the facility." Ambulances were temporarily diverted to allow safe transfer of the patient from the ambulance to the dedicated isolation room.
Québec has reported no cases of Ebola to date, and the province's website states "the probability of the virus being introduced into Canada by a contagious traveler is low." A Bundibugyo virus outbreak has been ongoing since May in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, prompting the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency of international concern on May 17.
Ebola symptoms can appear 2 to 21 days after exposure, with initial symptoms including fever, chills, headache, muscle weakness, fatigue, sore throat or cough. The source material does not indicate the patient's travel history, test results, or full timeline of evaluation.
What were the patient's travel history and origin?
What were the final test results confirming the patient was not infected?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
Where was the suspected Ebola patient isolated?
The patient was isolated at the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) on Thursday, October 1, 2026.
Was the isolation maintained after evaluation?
No. CHUM lifted the isolation after evaluation and confirmed that Ebola protocols would not be activated.
