Fears as another woman is tested for ebola
ANOTHER suspected case of ebola is being investigated, the Scottish Government confirmed last night.
It came after a patient complained of feeling unwell and feverish shortly after returning to Scotland from West Africa.
Health authorities insisted last night that the person is only being tested and, at this stage, there has been no confirmation they are suffering from the deadly virus.
No exact details surrounding the patient’s identity have been released, but unconfirmed reports suggest the suspected victim is a woman, believed to be from Auchtermuchty in Fife.
It is not known if she had been part of the Scottish team of medical volunteers presently working in Africa in the battle to stem the disease that has claimed the lives of thousands.
The patient is understood to have been taken by a special secure ambulance to the infectious diseases unit of the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.
Last night, Melanie Johnson, director of unscheduled care at NHS Lothian, confirmed a person had been admitted to hospital after showing signs of the deadly disease.
She said: ‘A patient who recently returned to Scotland from West Africa has been admitted to the Western General after they reported a raised temperature. As a precautionary measure, and in line with agreed procedures, the patient will be screened for possible infections and will be kept in isolation.
‘We have robust systems in place to manage patients with suspected infectious diseases.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We are aware NHS Lothian has admitted a patient who has returned from West Africa. In line with agreed procedures, the patient will be screened for possible infections, including ebola, and will be kept in isolation.’
The news comes weeks after Pauline Cafferkey, of Blantyre, Lanarkshire, became the first confirmed case of ebola in Scotland.
She had just returned from working with Save the Children in Sierra Leone when she began to display symptoms of the virus. The 39-year-old nurse had flown to Glasgow via Casablanca in Morocco and London’s Heathrow Airport.
Hours after her return, she complained of feeling unwell and was placed in an isolation unit at Glasgow’s Gartnavel General Hospital before being transferred by RAF Hercules to London on December 30. Her condition became critical while undergoing treatment at the Royal Free Hospital, although she has since improved.
Ebola is transmitted by direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.
The World Health Organisation recently revealed that the number of people infected by the disease in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea had now passed 20,000, resulting in nearly 8,000 deaths.
Speaking after the first confirmed ebola case, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: ‘Scotland has been preparing for this possibility from the beginning of the outbreak in West Africa and I am confident that we are well prepared.
‘We have the robust procedures in place to identify cases rapidly. Our health service also has the expertise and facilities to ensure confirmed ebola cases such as this are contained and isolated, effectively minimising any potential spread of the disease.
‘Scotland’s NHS has proved it is well able to cope with infectious diseases in the past, such as swine flu, and I am confident we will be able to respond effectively again.’