Person in UK tested for possible Ebola as cases rise in Africa

GLASGOW – A hospital in Scotland is testing a patient for Ebola as central Africa faces a deadly outbreak of the virus.

The person arrived at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow on June 30, according to a report from the BBC. A representative for the hospital declined to comment.

Public Health Scotland (PHS), the government health agency, said there are no confirmed cases in the country and the risk to the public remains low. The National Health Service has “safe procedures in place for detecting and managing any such cases”, a spokesperson for PHS said.

If confirmed, the infection would be the first Ebola case the UK has seen during the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The virus has infected nearly 1,300 people and killed more than 360 people across the Congo and Uganda.

There has also been one case outside the outbreak region. A French doctor doing humanitarian work in the Congo tested positive for Ebola and is receiving care, the health ministry said June 24.

The outbreak – caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain – was likely spreading for weeks before it was detected by officials. The strain has no approved vaccine or treatments, sparking a rush among researchers to develop a therapy.

Health officials have struggled to trace contacts of people who were infected and contain the virus in a region that’s been struck by insecurity, hunger, conflict and gaps in disease surveillance. BLOOMBERG