The 57-year-old patient hospitalized with symptoms resembling those of Ebola on Thursday evening has falciparum malaria, medical officials say.

His diagnosis was announced by doctors at the Military Hospital, cited by private national broadcaster bTV, after results of his blood test had been ready.

On Friday morning partial results of laboratory analyses showed the deadly virus was not present in the man's body, but it did not become immediately clear what the reason for his symptoms had been.

The man had recently returned from Sierra Leone and had gone to the hospital at his own decision due to high body temperature and fever.

Though the symptoms are associated with Ebola, doctors warned Thursday afternoon they could be typical for a number of diseases.