A person at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, is having tests carried out for the Ebola virus.
It is understood that the patient had recently travelled back into the country from an area in Africa the deadly virus outbreak had affected.
The Public Health Agency (PHA) confirmed that a series of tests are being carried out on the person, who has already tested positive for Malaria.
According to BBC News, it is understood that the patient has been held in isolation care since Friday and the tests for Ebola are said to be a precautionary measure.
In a statement PHA said: “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”.
”There is no change to the current situation in Northern Ireland in that the risk to the public here is very low.”
