Benin hospital treating Nigerian Ebola suspect

A hospital in Republic of Benin is treating a Nigerian man suspected of having contracted Ebola and authorities have sent a sample of his blood to Senegal for testing, Health Minister Dorothée Gazard said on state television on Thursday.

The case is unconfirmed but Gazard’s announcement triggered widespread fears in the capital Cotonou.

Many people said they would stock up on food and stop eating at popular roadside food stalls to avoid possible infection, witnesses said.

If confirmed, this case marks the beginnings of the virus in a fifth west African country. The Republic of Benin borders Nigeria, to its east, and Togo to its west.