Ebola test negative for Northampton hospital patient Published duration 15 January 2015

image caption The woman was admitted on Wednesday

A woman admitted to a British hospital with suspected Ebola has tested negative for the disease, Public Health England (PHE) has confirmed.

The patient was admitted to Northampton General Hospital (NGH) on Wednesday. It is believed she had recently travelled abroad.

The hospital had earlier said tests showed the woman was malaria negative and Ebola was "considered unlikely".

PHE confirmed a "precautionary" sample had tested negative.

image caption The hospital said it was taking "all appropriate actions" to protect the public's health

Ebola spread

The only confirmed case of Ebola currently being treated at a UK hospital is 39-year-old nurse Pauline Cafferkey, from Glasgow.

Ms Cafferkey, who had been working in West Africa for the charity Save the Children, is said to be "showing signs of improvement" at London's Royal Free Hospital.

She had previously been in a critical condition.

The Ebola virus is transmitted by direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, such as blood, vomit or faeces.

It has killed more than 7,800 people, almost all in West Africa, since it broke out a year ago.