Italian doctor in Sierra Leone tests positive for Ebola

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- An Italian doctor who tested positive for the Ebola virus while working in Sierra Leone will be flown back to Italy for treatment on Monday.

The doctor's infection is the latest example of the exposure risk faced by medical workers treating Ebola patients.

Italian Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin said in a statement that "Our doctor is doing well, he didn't have fever or other symptoms during the night, this morning he had breakfast, and is continuing to drink autonomously."

Officials did not identify the doctor, who was working for a nongovernmental organization in the West African nation, nor did they say how the disease was contracted.

A military plane was expected to transport the doctor to Rome's National Institute for Infective Diseases late Monday, with an update on the doctor's health to be released Tuesday.

Sierra Leone is among the countries hardest hit by the Ebola outbreak that began earlier this year. With "very weak health systems, lacking human and infrastructure resources," Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia have struggled to stop the spread of the deadly virus, the World Health Organization reported in September.