Canadian Disease Employee Possibly Exposed to Ebola

An employee at Canada's National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease may have been exposed to the Ebola virus, the AP reports. Dr. John Copps said Tuesday the employee was working with six infected pigs Monday and noticed a split in the seam of his protective suit during decontamination after working in the Level 4 lab in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The lab director says the risk to the employee, co-workers, and the community is considered to be low.

The employee met with a doctor and was offered an experimental Ebola vaccine. Officials, citing privacy, wouldn't say whether he received the vaccine. The employee is in isolation and will be monitored for 21 days by local health officials. The national lab works in the prevention, detection, control, and reporting of foreign animal diseases and emerging diseases (More Ebola stories.)