The country’s readiness to deal with the scare of the deadly Ebola virus was put to the test yesterday as Ministry of Health officials confirmed that there was concern that a traveler to The Bahamas may have been inflicted with the disease.

In a statement released yesterday, the Ministry said a traveler who was being transported to The Bahamas via a charter aircraft from Tennessee, displayed symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea.

“Keeping in line with our established Ebola preparedness protocols, the aircraft was diverted to a designated location,” the statement read. “A health evaluation team was transported to the aircraft where the patient was then evaluated.”

It was determined that that patient did not travel to an Ebola-affected area, nor had any contact with anyone who had traveled to an Ebola-affected area.

There were no other passengers with any signs of illness upon evaluation.

“As there was no determined threat to the public’s health, clearance was provided for the aircraft to proceed to its destination,” the ministry said.

At least seven people in the United States have tested positive for the virus and along a stretch of West African nations at least 10,000 people have contracted the disease since March with half of those cases ending fatally.

Last week a team of officials from the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) applauded The Bahamas’ efforts in preparing for a possible outbreak of the disease.