January 15, 2015

expert reaction to reports of suspected case of Ebola in Northampton hospital

A woman who is suspected of being infected with the Ebola virus is being tested at Northampton General Hospital.

Prof. Jonathan Ball, Professor of Molecular Virology, University of Nottingham, said:

“For many years the UK has developed systems designed to identify people with exotic infections, like Ebolavirus, although since the outbreak in West Africa these systems are understandably on high alert.

“These systems mean that anyone with a recent travel history from the most affected areas, who is showing any potential signs of Ebolavirus infection will be screened and,

if thought necessary, tested for infection. Whilst this process is going on the patient would be isolated from any others and the staff dealing with the patient will be equipped with appropriate levels of personal protective equipment.

“This is not the first suspect case and, apart from the recent case of the healthcare worker returning from Sierra Leone, all have tested negative for the virus. Despite this small risk, it is wholly appropriate to isolate, screen and test; that way any infected patient that does turn up can be properly cared for and the risk of a wider outbreak is minimised.”

Declared interests

None declared

All our previous output on this subject can be seen at this weblink:

http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/ebola-outbreak/