A woman in a Glasgow, Scotland-based hospital has tested positive for Ebola after returning to Scotland from Sierra Leone, according to a statement from the Scottish government.
The patient arrived in Scotland via London and Casablanca Dec. 28 and went to the Gartnavel Hospital early Dec. 29 and was then placed in isolation. All of the patient's contacts are being investigated. The government noted that the disease was "diagnosed in the very early stages" and therefore the "risk to others is considered extremely low."
The patient will be transferred to an isolation unit in the Royal Free Hospital in London "as soon as possible," as that is the Ebola protocol in the United Kingdom and Scotland.
"Scotland has been preparing for this possibility from the beginning of the outbreak in West Africa, and I am confident that we are well prepared," said First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. "We have the robust procedures in place to identify cases rapidly. Our health service also has the expertise and facilities to ensure that confirmed Ebola cases such as this are contained and isolated effectively minimizing any potential spread of the disease."