A series of tests are being carried out at Letterkenny General Hospital this evening, following the death of a man who may have been infected with the Ebola virus.
It is understood that the man’s body was found in Donegal this morning and brought to the hospital.
According to the Irish Times, he had been working in Sierra Leone. In a statement this evening, the HSE said that the “body of the deceased has been isolated to minimise the potential spread of any possible virus”.
While the cause of the man’s death is unknown, the HSE is currently assessing a suspected case of Ebola virus disease (EVD) and said that laboratory results are expected tomorrow.
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The man had recently travelled to one of the areas in Africa affected by the current Ebola outbreak
“The public health department was made aware earlier today of the remains of an individual, discovered early this morning, who had recently travelled to the one of the areas in Africa affected by the current Ebola virus disease outbreak. The appropriate national guidelines, in line with international best practice, are being followed by the public health team dealing with the situation.”
The HSE has stressed that the risk of transmission of any disease was considered to be “extremely low” but “appropriate infection control procedures are being put in place in the community and at the mortuary pending the outcome of laboratory tests”.
“In general, the risk of contracting Ebola virus disease is extremely low and would involve very close personal contact with the infected individual or their body fluids for there to be any risk at all,” said Dr Darina O’Flanagan, head of the HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre.
“We await the outcome of the laboratory tests before we will know whether or not this individual had contracted Ebola virus disease. The appropriate public health guidelines are being followed at every stage in this process as a precaution.”
