Health

Ebola test results for Belfast patient due within 48 hours

Northern Ireland’s Public Health Agency insists risk to public of infection remains low

An audience member photographs a slide showing an image of the Ebola virus during a safety presentation by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Los Angeles, California. Photograph: David McNew/Getty Images

Mon Nov 10 2014 - 09:19

Ebola test results for a patient being monitored in a Belfast hospital are due within 48 hours, it has been reported.

According to reports from the BBC, the patient is currently being held in an isolation unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

The person, who recently travelled to west Africa and has already tested positive for malaria, is being tested for Ebola as a precautionary measure, according to the Public Health Agency.

In a statement, the agency said it was liaising with colleagues and has advised that there is no increased risk to the wider community.

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“It is important to note that the likelihood of contracting Ebola is extremely low unless the person had come into contact with blood or body fluids of a symptomatic person. Therefore we would like to stress that the risk to the public is low,’’ it said.

“There is no change to the current situation in Northern Ireland in that the risk to the public here is very low.’’

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