Patient tested positive for malaria, not Ebola

THE Public Health Agney says a patient in a Belfast hospital does not have Ebola following testing.

The person is being treated in an isolation unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital in west Belfast.

The patient in fact tested positive for malaria.

A blood sample was tested to find out if the patient also had Ebola as they had been to Sierra Leone.

“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,” Dr Lorraine Doherty of the PHA said.

“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.”.

Health Minister Jim Wells told the assembly that even in the worst situation, the numbers of Ebola cases in Northern Ireland would be expected to be in single figures.

He acknowledged this would be “a matter of great concern to the public”, but added that it “would not place an inordinate burden on the health service”.

The health minister told MLAs that if anyone in Northern Ireland tested positive for Ebola, they would be flown to the Royal Free Hospital in London for treatment.