No immediate Ebola threat in Ireland, says Varadkar

There is no immediate threat or danger of an Ebola case in Ireland but authorities here are in daily contact with their British and European counterparts, Minister for Health Leo Varadkar has said.

Mr Varadkar was speaking in Dublin this morning after first case of Ebola was diagnosed in Britain last night, when a health worker in Glasgow was confirmed to have contracted the virus.

The patient is a nurse who had just returned from a spell in Sierra Leone following a period treating the victims of the disease.

The Minister said he had a conference call with the Chief Medical Officer this morning and said no Irish people were on the woman’s flight to Glasgow, which returned on Sunday night.

“It is important to point out this is a case of somebody who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone,” Mr Varadkar said. “It’s a returned aid worker. Nobody has actually contracted Ebola in Britain. Contract tracing is underway but as far as we know at this stage, there are no Irish people concerned or any people travelling on to Ireland on the flights concerned.

“In that sense we don’t believe there is any immediate threat or any immediate danger here in Ireland but we are of course in contact, on a daily basis, with the British and European authorities.

"I was informed of the case in Scotland yesterday. I understand the person concerned has now been moved to the Royal Free in London and I had a conference call with the chief medical officer this morning."