Negative test for tropical virus
A man has tested negative for the highly contagious tropical disease Lassa fever, health bosses have said.
Fears were raised when he fell ill after returning to Edinburgh from a trip to his native Nigeria, where the virus infects thousands of people.
The man was taken to hospital last week but tests have shown conclusively he was not suffering from the condition.
He is being treated in isolation at Edinburgh's Western General Hospital and is said to be sitting up in bed.
Medics are trying to find out what may have struck him down.
'Infection control'
Dr Eleanor Anderson, of the public health and health policy unit at NHS Lothian, said: "A man who has recently returned from Africa was admitted to the regional infectious disease unit at the Western General Hospital.
"He is being managed in isolation with all appropriate infection control measures until we identify the nature of his illness.
"Tests for Lassa fever have come back negative and our investigations are continuing."
According to the World Health Organisation, Lassa fever can lead to vomiting, diarrhoea, seizures and bleeding from the mouth.
Some studies indicate that up to 5,000 people die of the disease every year in West Africa.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/6351435.stm
Published: 2007/02/11 11:06:35 GMT
A man has tested negative for the highly contagious tropical disease Lassa fever, health bosses have said.
Fears were raised when he fell ill after returning to Edinburgh from a trip to his native Nigeria, where the virus infects thousands of people.
The man was taken to hospital last week but tests have shown conclusively he was not suffering from the condition.
He is being treated in isolation at Edinburgh's Western General Hospital and is said to be sitting up in bed.
Medics are trying to find out what may have struck him down.
'Infection control'
Dr Eleanor Anderson, of the public health and health policy unit at NHS Lothian, said: "A man who has recently returned from Africa was admitted to the regional infectious disease unit at the Western General Hospital.
"He is being managed in isolation with all appropriate infection control measures until we identify the nature of his illness.
"Tests for Lassa fever have come back negative and our investigations are continuing."
According to the World Health Organisation, Lassa fever can lead to vomiting, diarrhoea, seizures and bleeding from the mouth.
Some studies indicate that up to 5,000 people die of the disease every year in West Africa.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/6351435.stm
Published: 2007/02/11 11:06:35 GMT