Suspected Ebola case being investigated at Glasgow hospital

A patient is being tested for suspected Ebola virus at a hospital in Glasgow after being admitted in the early hours of Tuesday.

According to local media reports, the individual was taken to Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, where tests are under way to determine whether he has contracted the disease.

The National newspaper reported that the person arrived back in Glasgow from an Ebola-affected country.

A source told the newspaper: “Obviously Ebola is a deadly and contagious illness, and emergency measures had to be put in place immediately to protect both staff and any members of the public.

“The person came to the Acute Receiving Unit, where people are sent by their GP or the health board’s 101 number to avoid having to present at accident and emergency. This was quickly shut down and sealed off from the rest of the hospital."

Health officials have not yet confirmed a diagnosis.

If confirmed, it would be the first case in the UK since a recent outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization.

Last week, France confirmed its first imported Ebola case after a humanitarian doctor returned from a mission in Congo.

The Ebola outbreak, centered in the eastern province of Ituri, has spread to neighboring areas and prompted heightened surveillance in Uganda amid concerns over cross-border transmission.

Health officials have warned that the outbreak continues to pose a significant regional threat, particularly in areas affected by conflict, population displacement and weak healthcare infrastructure.

The current outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is no approved vaccine. The disease causes severe hemorrhagic fever and spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids.