SPECIALIST doctors in Sweden are today investigating a suspected case of Ebola, it has been reported.

An outbreak alert was sparked when a patient was rushed to Skane University Hospital in Lund, near Malmo, with worrying symptoms linked to the deadly virus.

5 The patient had many of the symptoms of the deadly Ebola virus Credit: Universal Images Group - Getty

5 The unnamed patient was rushed to Skane University Hospital in Malmo

"There are confirmed cases of Ebola in the area where the person has been staying," said Maria Josephsson, director of operations at the infection clinic, without giving further details.

"The reason the suspicion arose is symptom in the form of fever, combined with where the patient has been."

The person, whose age, gender or other details have not yet been released, was taken to the clinic on Monday, reports Aftenbladet.

But they quickly fell ill with a high temperature and other feverish symptoms and they are now awaiting test results.

The news comes just months after a deadly Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo was declared an international health emergency.

More than 2,000 people have died in the latest outbreak over the last 10 months - making it the second biggest in history.

Most people who contract the disease will die from their symptoms with a terrifying 67 per cent fatality rate being reported.

Deadly virus: What is Ebola, what are the symptoms and can it be treated? THE Ebola virus can spread quickly and be fatal in up to 90% of cases. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding. The virus is most often spread by close contact with bodily fluids of people exhibiting symptoms and with contaminated objects such as sheets. Health care workers are often at risk. There is no licensed Ebola treatment, but early care such as rehydration helps to improve the chances of survival. Some patients in the latest outbreak have received experimental treatments but their effect has not been fully studied. An experimental Ebola vaccine has been effective in its first widespread use, and more than 163,000 people have been vaccinated. The vaccine's testing was sped up during the West African Ebola outbreak in 2014-16 that killed more than 11,300 people.

5 Health workers at an Ebola treatment centre in Beni, Democratic Republic of Congo. Credit: AP:Associated Press

The Ebola virus disease - previously called Ebola haemorrhagic fever - is a viral infection that occurs in humans and primates.

It was first detected in regions close to the River Ebola in the Congo, which gave the disease its name.

To date, scientists have identified five strains of Ebola - four of which are known to cause disease in humans.

The natural reservoir - or host of the virus - is thought to be the fruit bat.

In spite of the epidemic that swept West Africa from 2013, scientists class Ebola as a virus that has a relatively low infection rate.

During that, the most recent and widespread outbreak, one Ebola patient would typically pass the disease on to another two people.

It was first identified by a team of scientists in what was then called Zaire, now known as Democratic Republic of the Congo, in 1976.

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Until the last outbreak, the most widespread and deadliest ever, records show regular bursts of Ebola virus did occur.

However, they tended to be confined to villages close to rainforests in Central and West Africa.

Infection has been recorded in humans through contact with infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines.

5 An Ebola victim is put to rest in Beni, Congo. The deadly virus is highly infectious Credit: AP:Associated Press

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