UK patient undergoing tests for Ebola as disease outbreak declared ‘public health emergency’

The patient is thought to have been admitted on Tuesday morning (June 30)

A UK patient is in hospital and undergoing testing for a suspected case of the Ebola virus. A person at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow is currently being tested for the disease.

It comes after the World Health Organisation declared the disease outbreak a ‘public health emergency of international concern.’ If the case is confirmed, it’s understood to be the first in the UK since the recent outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The BBC reported that the patient was thought to have been admitted to the hospital on Tuesday morning (June 30). 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.

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

“Public Health Scotland is working closely with UKHSA, to assess routes by which travellers may enter the UK from affected countries. The risk from people arriving in the UK from affected areas is low and the NHS has safe procedures in place for detecting and managing any such cases.

“PHS and NHS boards across Scotland have well established protocols for assessing and testing travellers arriving in the UK from areas affected by Ebola where necessary. Where required, contact tracing will occur and contacts may undergo clinical assessment and precautionary testing.

“The UKHSA Returning Workers Scheme (RWS) which aims to protect and monitor the health of those who may travel from the UK to affected areas for their work, has been activated. Organisations deploying workers to affected areas where they may be exposed to Ebola through their work, should register those workers with the scheme.”

There have been almost 700 confirmed cases of bundibugyo Ebola virus, the majority of which are in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Some 138 people have died, including two in neighbouring Uganda.

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

The UK has committed up to £21 million to support the local response to Ebola in DRC, helping to protect frontline workers and vulnerable communities.