Woman In Scotland Tested For Ebola Virus

A female detainee who became ill at an immigration removal centre is to undergo tests for the Ebola virus.

The woman, understood to have arrived from Sierra Leone, was being held at Dungavel Detention Centre in South Lanarkshire.

A spokesman for NHS Lanarkshire said: "We are currently investigating a possible case of Viral Haemorrhagic Fever (Ebola).

"This is a precautionary measure and it would appear at this stage to be highly unlikely the patient will test positive for Ebola."

A Home Office spokesman said: "We do not comment on operational matters."

The case comes amid growing international concern about the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

More than 1,000 people have died and almost 2,000 suspected, probable or confirmed Ebola cases have been recorded there.

Health experts say they are struggling to contain the epidemic, which started in Guinea last March.

It has since spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

Ebola is transmitted by direct contact with the body fluids of a person who is infected.