Patient tested for suspected Ebola virus at Glasgow hospital

<p>A patient is being tested for suspected Ebola virus at a Glasgow hospital, according to local media. </p> <p>The current deadly outbreak in Africa has been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO), as 1307 people were infected and 377 dead across three provinces in eastern Congo.</p> <p>Tests were currently being conducted at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow to confirm whether the individual has contracted the disease, the BBC reported.</p> <p>National Health Service agencies confirmed there were no ward closures at the hospital, and said patients and visitors were not being advised to stay away.</p> <p>Public Health Scotland said it was working closely with the UK Health Security Agency to assess routes by which travellers may enter the UK from affected countries.</p> <p>A spokesperson told the BBC: "There are currently no confirmed cases of Ebola in Scotland and the risk to the general public remains low."</p> <p>The virus — normally infecting animals such as fruit bats — was typically spread from direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids, contaminated objects or animals.</p> <p>Outbreaks among humans could sometimes begin when people eat or handle infected animals.</p> <p>Health workers have reported some scepticism and attacks over Ebola from residents in the affected areas of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.</p> <p>Cases also have been confirmed in neighbouring Uganda, as well as one in France in a doctor who returned from Congo.</p> <p>The United Nations warned in a report overnight that if the virus spreads into other neighbouring countries including Rwanda and Angola, it could cost Africa up to $3.6 billion and result in 328,000 job losses.</p> <p><i>- Additional reporting by Associated Press</i></p>