Updated 22/08/2014
THE HSE HAS has been carrying out tests on the body of a man in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, to find out whether he died of Ebola, with results due to be announced later today.
In a statement yesterday, the HSE said it was made aware about the remains of a man which were discovered yesterday morning who had recently travelled to one of the areas in Africa affected by the current Ebola disease outbreak.
The body of the dead man was isolated and blood samples were sent to a laboratory for testing.
The HSE said yesterday that until a cause of death is confirmed, the man’s body will stay in the mortuary. In its statement, it said laboratory results are expected to be released late today.
It is not known where the man’s body was discovered.
The HSE described the case as a “suspected” case of Ebola in its statement.
The head of the HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre cautioned the public that the risk of transmission is considered to be extremely low, but said that as a precautionary measure, infection control procedures are being put in place in the local community and at the mortuary.
“We await the outcome of the laboratory tests before we will know whether or not this individual had contracted Ebola virus disease,” said Dr Darina O’Flanagan.
“The appropriate public health guidelines are being followed at every stage in this process as a precaution”.
Originally published 21/08/2014
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