An Australian nurse battling the deadly Ebola virus is under observation in the UK for the deadly disease.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said that followed a “low-risk clinical incident” at the Australian-managed Ebola Treatment Centre (ETC) in Sierra Leone.
She said the nurse – whose name hasn’t been released for privacy reasons – was transferred to the UK under the agreement secured by the Australian government before establishing the centre.
Ms Bishop said a medical assessment in the UK determined that the risk of the nurse developing Ebola remained low.
The nurse wasn’t exhibiting any symptoms of the disease.
“The Australian-funded ETC has strict infection prevention protocols in place, and the safety of staff and patients is paramount.
To date, 29 patients have recovered from Ebola and been discharged from the centre,” she said in a statement.
In mid January an Australian nurse treating Ebola in Sierra Leone was airlifted to the UK after personal protection protocols were accidentally breached at the centre run by Aspen Medical.
It was a low-risk incident and the evacuation was a precautionary measure.
The World Health Organisation on Friday approved a quick test for Ebola aimed at dramatically cutting the time it takes to determine – with reasonable accuracy – whether someone is infected with the deadly virus.
The ReEBOV Antigen Rapid Test Kit, made by Colorado-based Corgenix, met sufficient quality, safety and performance requirements to allow it to be purchased and distributed by UN agencies and aid groups, WHO said on Friday.
Until now, Ebola tests have been mainly conducted in laboratories. These gene-based tests are more accurate but can take between 12 and 24 hours.
The president of Ebola-ravaged Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, will visit the White House on February 27 as her recovering nation embarks on an ambitious goal of reducing infections to zero.