A MAN WHOSE ‘flu-like’ symptoms were being investigated for Ebola in a Dublin hospital has been cleared by medics of having the virus.
The man was being treated at the hospital using protective ‘barrier nursing’ methods, used when infectious diseases are suspected. There was restricted access to the area where the man was being treated.
A hospital source confirmed to TheJournal.ie this morning that Ebola was one of the possibilities being investigated in the man’s case.
A spokesperson from that hospital has just confirmed that the hospital is now confident that no patient has the Ebola virus. It is understood that the possibility was ruled out by consultants in the last hour and precautions have been stepped down.
A HSE spokesperson told TheJournal.ie that the WHO guidelines are in place in Ireland and, in line with this, there are specific steps that need to be followed by a hospital should they have a suspected case of Ebola. This includes notifying the HSPC (the Health Protection Surveillance Centre) and referring samples for lab tests.
The HSE said that the man’s case had not been referred to the HSPC – but could not rule out this morning that Ebola was being “considered” among the possibilities.
However, hospital sources have told TheJournal.ie that Ebola has now been finally ruled out for the man. He had travelled abroad recently but it has been established that the areas he visited were not those where Ebola outbreaks have recently been reported.
The official global death toll for Ebola stands at 1,069 this morning, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Sierra Leona, Liberia and Guinea are the three main countries at the epicentre of the current outbreak.
The WHO said:
The outbreak is expected to continue for some time. WHO’s operational response plan extends over the next several months.
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