Negative Ebola test for Dungavel detainee in South Lanarkshire Published duration 15 August 2014

image caption Admissions and releases at Dungavel have been suspended

A female detainee who took ill at Dungavel Detention Centre in South Lanarkshire has tested negative for the Ebola virus.

It is understood she had been taken there after arriving from Sierra Leone.

The Home Office had suspended the detention or release of detainees from Dungavel while the investigation continued. Staff and visitors were still allowed in and out of the centre.

An outbreak of Ebola in Africa has claimed the lives of 1,069 people.

A statement from NHS Lanarkshire earlier 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."

The Ebola epidemic in Africa began in Guinea in February and 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.

Initial flu-like symptoms can lead to external haemorrhaging from areas such as eyes and gums, and internal bleeding which can lead to organ failure.

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