Scottish hospital 'is locked down over Ebola fears'

By PATRICK HARRINGTON, UK NEWS REPORTER and JOHN PAUL BRESLIN, WEEKEND NEWS EDITOR - SCOTLAND Published: 20:00, 30 June 2026 | Updated: 20:28, 30 June 2026 A patient is being tested for suspected Ebola at Scotland’s superhospital. Part of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, in Glasgow, had to be locked down after the individual presented at the Acute Receiving Unit at around 6am this morning. Reports say the patient had recently arrived back in the city after visiting an Ebola affected country and sought medical attention after they developed worrying symptoms. The development comes amid an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda that the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a public health emergency of international concern. To minimise any potential risk to others, the QEUH was quickly sealed off to members of the public. After being assessed, the patient was immediately confined for testing, treatment and further examination. Tests are currently being carried out to confirm whether they have contracted the deadly and contagious disease. It is likely the individual will also be tested for a range of other suspected diseases. Part of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (pictured) was locked down over fears a patient has Ebola Staff in protective gear carry the coffin of an Ebola victim in Mongbwalu, Democratic Republic of Congo, believed to be the epicentre of the current outbreak The person arrived back in Glasgow from an affected Ebola country and presented themselves at the hospital's Acute Receiving Unit, The National reports. A source told the newspaper: 'The person came to the Acute Receiving Unit, where people are sent by their GP or the health board's 101 number to avoid having to present at accident and emergency. This was quickly shut down and sealed off from the rest of the hospital. 'The person was assessed there and then taken elsewhere in the hospital. I believe they were put into confinement while the tests to establish if they have Ebola or something else are carried out.' Another hospital worker told the Glasgow Times: 'The mere mention of the word Ebola strikes panic into people. You think of it as a disease that happens elsewhere. 'The hospital has strict protocols and procedures to deal with these types of rare occurrences and everything seemed to be followed to a tee, but it is still a worry for those who were on duty at the time.' Central Africa is currently grappling with an Ebola outbreak, with around 1,300 confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a handful in Uganda. There has also been one confirmed case in France.  Around 360 people are confirmed to have died from the current outbreak, which is the third-largest in history. If confirmed, this would be the first case of Ebola in the UK for more than a decade. Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with blood or bodily fluids of symptomatic individuals or contaminated objects. A spokesperson for Public Health Scotland (PHS) said: 'Public Health Scotland is working closely with UKHSA to assess routes by which travellers may enter the UK from affected countries. 'The risk from people arriving in the UK from affected areas is low and the NHS has safe procedures in place for detecting and managing any such cases. 'PHS and NHS boards across Scotland have well established protocols for assessing and testing travellers arriving in the UK from areas affected by Ebola where necessary. 'Where required, contact tracing will occur and contacts may undergo clinical assessment and precautionary testing. 'The UKHSA Returning Workers Scheme (RWS) which aims to protect and monitor the health of those who may travel from the UK to affected areas for their work, has been activated. 'Organisations deploying workers to affected areas where they may be exposed to Ebola through their work, should register those workers with the scheme.' 'There are currently no confirmed cases of Ebola in Scotland and the risk to the general public remains low.'  This is a breaking news story, refresh for updates. The comments below have been moderated in advance. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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