A PATIENT in Scotland has tested negative for Ebola disease, Public Health Scotland (PHS) announced on 30th June 2026.
The individual was tested as a suspected case and reportedly admitted to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
This comes amid the ongoing outbreak of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
It follows the first imported case of Ebola disease in Europe, confirmed after a doctor returned to France from a humanitarian mission in the DRC.
Risk in Scotland Low
PHS has said NHS Scotland has procedures in place to detect and manage suspected cases of Ebola disease.
It has determined the risk to the general public in Scotland as low.
There are currently no confirmed Ebola cases in Scotland.
Returning Workers Scheme Activated
PHS, alongside NHS boards across Scotland, have protocols in place for assessing and testing travellers arriving in the UK from areas affected by Ebola where appropriate.
Contact tracing can occur where necessary and contacts may be required to undergo clinical assessment and precautionary testing, PHS reported.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Returning Workers Scheme (RWS) has been activated.
It aims to monitor the health of people who may travel from the UK to affected areas for, for example, humanitarian, healthcare, and response work.
The scheme was established in November 2014 to support those who travel to Ebola-affected areas for work and now continues to monitor people who travel to high-consequence infectious-disease-affected areas.
The UKHSA encourages all organisations deploying workers in Ebola-affected areas to register with the UKHSA RWS in advance of travel where possible.
Risk in DRC and Uganda Remains High
On 28th June, the DRC Ministry of Health reported a total of 1,274 confirmed cases, including 360 confirmed related deaths, and 502 people hospitalised in isolation (as of 27th June).
This marked an increase of 47 new confirmed cases and 12 new deaths than were reported on the previous day.
As of 28th June, Uganda had reported a total of 20 confirmed cases, including two deaths.
No new cases have been reported since 21st June.
As of 19th June, WHO assesses the risk in the DRC as very high, the risk in Uganda as high, the risk for countries with land borders adjoining countries with documented Bundibugyo detection as high, and the risk for the rest of the Africa region and at the global level as low.
Featured image: Nigel Harris on Adobe Stock
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