Lima, September 22 (Andina-RHC) -- Peru's Heath Ministry (Minsa) has denied a report alleging that the first case of Ebola has been confirmed in the Andean nation.

"There is no Ebola case in Peru. [...] No one is being observed or treated for Ebola-like symptoms in any of the hospitals within the country", Minsa pointed out.

A media published on Wednesday false information on its website saying that the National Health Institute (INS) had confirmed the first case of the deadly virus in the national territory.

The INS urged people to remain calm and adequately informed about the real risks if Ebola arrives in Peru.

According to Minsa, the risk that Ebola enters Peru is very low, because there is no reservoir for this disease (fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family) in the country and no direct flights from Africa to Peru and vice versa.

In August of this year, Peru declared an epidemic alert to prevent the disease entering the territory as well as to reinforce vigilance, and prepare health services in order "to detect and deal with potentially important cases".

The virus, spread by contact with bodily fluids, has killed than 560 people in Sierra Leone and more than 2,600 in West Africa since the outbreak began last December, according to the World Health Organization.