Arabic version: اختبارات لمريض في مستشفى غلاسكو للاشتباه في فيروس إيبولا
A patient is being tested for suspected Ebola virus at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow. It is understood they were admitted to the QEUH 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 an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda in May. According to BBC News, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak in Africa a public health emergency of international concern.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said there were no ward closures at the QEUH and confirmed patients and visitors were not being advised to stay away. Unlike flu or Covid, Ebola is not an airborne virus so is not spread simply by being near an infected person. 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 other 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) 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.
Ebola is a rare but often deadly disease caused by a virus which attacks the body’s immune system and organs. The virus normally infects animals, typically fruit bats, but outbreaks among humans can sometimes start when people eat or handle infected animals. The virus is typically spread from direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids, contaminated objects or animals. It takes two to 21 days for symptoms to appear. They come on suddenly and start like flu or malaria with fever, headache and tiredness. As the disease progresses, vomiting and diarrhoea develop and it can lead to organ failure.
