A British man was rushed to hospital in Skopje, Macedonia with what is being described as symptoms similar to Ebola and within hours he was dead.  Authorities sealed off the hotel where he had been staying, isolating a second Briton and hotel staff.

This began to unfold one week ago on 2 October with the 56-year old man’s arrival in the former Yugoslavian republic on a plane from London.  He stayed in his hotel room for a few days – steadily growing sicker – and an ambulance eventually brought him to hospital.

Dr. Jovanka Kostovska of the Macedonian Health Ministry’s commission for infectious diseases said the man had been suffering from fever, vomiting and internal bleeding, and that his condition had deteriorated rapidly.

“These are all symptoms of Ebola, which raises suspicions with this patient,” Kostovska told a news conference.  It’s not clear if the Brit had been to West Africa, where the UN World Health Organization says the death toll is now more than 3,825. 

Samples from the man’s body were sent out for further tests to a laboratory in Germany to find out if it is the Ebola virus or not.  Results are expected within 48 hours.