No plans to handle Ebola cases at BGH

Any local suspected or confirmed outbreak will see the patient admitted to a specialised unit elsewhere.

In neighbouring Dumfries and Galloway, the health board has established a specialised secure Ebola unit at the Royal Infirmary in Dumfries.

A spokesperson for NHS Borders told The Southern: “If a doctor in NHS Borders identifies a possible viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF) case, such as Ebola virus, the patient will be isolated and discussed in detail with an infectious diseases consultant at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.

“If the consultant agrees that the patient could be a VHF case, then the patient will be admitted to a specialist unit such as the Western General Infectious Disease Unit, where further tests will be undertaken to confirm the diagnosis.

“There are currently no plans to admit such patients to the Borders General Hospital.”