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Ebola in the UK: Woman diagnosed with the virus in Glasgow Gartnavel Hospital

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The first case of Ebola to be diagnosed on British soil has been

announced tonight, after a health worker in Glasgow was confirmed to

have contracted the virus.

The female patient is an NHS nurse who had just returned from Sierra

Leone after a spell treating the victims of the potentially fatal

disease.

She is currently being treated at the specialist Brownlee Unit for

Infectious Diseases at Glasgow's Gartnavel Hospital, and is said to be

in a stable condition.

A spokeswoman for Save the Children confirmed toThe Independentthat

the female patient is an NHS nurse who worked at its Ebola hospital in

Kerry Town, near the capital Freetown. She added that the charity

believes the patient flew to Sierra Leone on 23 November.

The woman had returned to Scotland on Sunday night via Casablanca and

Heathrow, arriving into Glasgow Airport on a British Airways flight.

She was screened both in Sierra Leone and Heathrow, but at that stage

was not displaying any symptoms.

The woman sought medical help hours after her return to Britain when

she began to feel ill early on Monday morning, and was placed into

isolation at 7:50am.

In line with UK and Scottish protocol for patients diagnosed with the

virus, she will be transferred to the high level isolation unit in the

Royal Free hospital, London, as soon as possible, the Scottish

Government said in a statement.

After chairing a meeting of the Whitehall Cobra contingencies

committee in London, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said there would be

a review of the "procedures and protocols" adopted by NHS workers and

other government staff working in Sierra Leone.

"We are reviewing our procedures and protocols for the other NHS

workers who are working in Sierra Leone alongside colleagues from the

Department for International Development and the Foreign Office," he

said.

"They are doing a very, very brave job, under very challenging

circumstances. We want to make absolutely sure that we are doing

everything we can to keep them safe."

Passengers on the two flights the woman was on were now being

contacted as a "precautionary measure" although the risks of them

contracting the disease were "very low", said Mr Hunt.

She is believed to have been in contact with only one other person

after arriving in Glasgow, as well as hospital staff.

Anyone deemed to be at risk will be contacted and closely monitored

the Scottish Government added, but stressed: "the risk to others is

considered extremely low" as the aid worker was diagnosed in the very

early stages of the virus.

However, a telephone helpline has been set up for anyone who was on

the Heathrow to Glasgow flight last night. Those concerned can phone:

08000 858531.

Credit: Independent Uk

Kofi Oppong Kyekyeku

I am a Ghanaian Broadcast Journalist/Writer who has an interest in General News, Sports, Entertainment, Health, Lifestyle and many more.

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