Ebola Reston virus found among monkeys in Philippine facility

Ebola Reston virus was found among monkeys held captives in a Philippine facility, the country's Department of Health and the Bureau of Animal Industry confirmed on Saturday.

Janette Garin, secretary of the health department, assured the public that Ebola Reston virus is different from Ebola virus disease which infected more than 28,000 people, including about 11, 300 deaths, mostly in Africa.

She refused to name the facility but she said 25 personnel are being monitored.

Garin said blood samples were collected from the 25 employees and were sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine for Ebola virus disease antibodies testing using Eliza or Enzyme Immunosoorbent Assay.

"The results yielded negative for Ebola virus disease," she said.

"While it does not cause any human illness, the Department of Health will continue to monitor the health status of the staff currently employed in the said facility," she said.

Rubina Cresencio, director of the Bureau of Animal Industry, said the bureau is currently studying how the monkeys got infected.

Ebola virus disease was first detected in monkeys from the Philippines that were being examined in a laboratory in Reston, Virginia of the United States in early 1990s.

Garin said Ebola Reston virus can be transmitted to humans, without resulting into illness.

"The threat to human health is likely to be low or none for health adults," she added. Endi