A 31-YEAR-OLD Nigerian man under the care of a Hong Kong hospital is suspected to have the Ebola virus, said Hong Kong’s Center for Health Protection (CHP) yesterday.

    The center was expected to announce the test result late last night. If confirmed, it would be the first case of the deadly virus in Asia.

    The Nigerian arrived in Hong Kong from Nigeria on Thursday and had been staying at a guest house in Chung-king Mansions in Tsim Sha Tsui, according to reports in the Chinese-language press.

    He was sent to hospital yesterday after experiencing diarrhea, one of the fatal disease’s early symptoms, hospital sources said.

    An ambulance first took the man to Queen Elizabeth Hospital before he was transferred to the Infectious Disease Center at Princess Margaret Hospital yesterday evening, the sources said.

    The Department of Health said it would not comment on individual cases and would make a public announcement if any case is confirmed.

    The World Health Organization on Thursday declared the Ebola epidemic in West Africa an international public health emergency needing a coordinated global response.

    The outbreak has killed nearly 1,000 people in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria since it was first reported in March.

    More than 10,000 travelers arrive in Hong Kong from the four countries every year, according to official statistics.

    The Ebola virus is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids from an infected person. There is currently no approved cure or vaccine.(SD-Agencies)

    (Related story on P5)