Patient tested for suspected Ebola virus at Glasgow hospital

A patient is being tested for suspected Ebola virus at a Glasgow hospital.

It is understood they were admitted to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in the early hours of Tuesday.

Tests are currently being carried out to confirm whether the individual has contracted the disease.

If confirmed it would be the first case in the UK since a recent outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Public Health Scotland (PHS) said it was working closely with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to assess routes by which travellers may enter the UK from affected countries.

A spokesperson said: “There are currently no confirmed cases of Ebola in Scotland and the risk to the general public remains low.”

PHS added that, together with NHS health organisations, it had “well established protocols for assessing and testing travellers arriving in the UK from areas affected by Ebola”.

A spokesperson said: “Where required, contact tracing will occur and contacts may undergo clinical assessment and precautionary testing.”

PHS confirmed the UKHSA Returning Workers Scheme (RWS), external, which aims to protect and monitor the health of those who may travel from the UK to affected areas for their work, had been activated.

The spokesperson said organisations deploying workers to affected areas where they may be exposed to Ebola through their work, should register them with the scheme.

Last week France confirmed its first case of Ebola – a doctor who had returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.