A man who died in Letterkenny Hospital is being checked for the Ebola virus.
According to a report in the
Irish Times tests are being carried out in Letterkenny Hospital after a man is suspected to have died there from the Ebola virus.
The unnamed man is reported to have worked in Sierra Leone and that some of his colleagues in the African country had contracted the illness.
The HSE are carrying out tests on the man's body and they issued a statement on the case this evening.
The HSE is currently assessing a suspected case of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Donegal. 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. This means that the body of the deceased has been isolated to minimise the potential spread of any possible virus. Blood samples have been sent for laboratory testing to confirm whether or not this individual had contracted Ebola virus disease.
Until a diagnosis is confirmed, and as a precautionary measure, the individual’s remains will stay in the mortuary pending the laboratory results which are expected late tomorrow.
The risk of transmission of any disease is considered to be extremely low. As a precautionary measure, appropriate infection control procedures are being put in place in the community and at the mortuary pending the outcome of laboratory tests.
Dr. Darina O’Flanagan, Head of the HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre, said; “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.”
“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.”
UPDATE: According to the Mirror, the man was aged 44 and died in his parent's home last night. From there he was transferred to Letterkenny Hospital in the early hours of this morning.
