The Public Health Agency (PHA) have this afternoon confirmed that a patient admitted to the Royal Victoria Hospital last Friday has tested negative for Ebola.
It is understood that the patient had recently travelled back into the country from Sierra Leona – an area that has been affected by the virus outbreak. They are now being treated for malaria.
Speaking about the negative Ebola results, Dr Lorraine Doherty of the PHA told UTV News:
“Tests have come back negative for Ebola in this patient, but the effective and seamless way in which the case was managed reiterates how important it has been for the health service to prepare for all eventualities.”
The Public Health Agency again stressed 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:
“This incident has further tested the measures that are in place to deal with a suspected case of Ebola and has shown them to be robust, and it will contribute our continued work in this area. There is no change to the current situation in Northern Ireland in that the risk to the public here is very low.”
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed around 5,000 people according to the World Health Organisation, with more than 10,000 being treated for symptoms of the disease.
