A WOMAN from Oxfordshire has tested negative for Ebola in Scotland, the NHS has said.

She had returned from Sierra Leone on December 21 and visited the country as part of a group of 30 for New Year, NHS Highland said.

She fell ill on Monday at Torridon Youth Hostel, Ross-Shire.

The woman had had no direct connect with people with Ebola but “given the seriousness of Ebola” was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

She was taken to its infectious diseases unit 160 miles from Torridon in a specially equipped ambulance.

A statement from NHS Highland said “precautionary” action was taken as she met the criteria of returning from a high risk country in the last 21 days.

It would not give further details about the woman.

A later statement from The Scottish Government said the woman had tested negative for Ebola. She is still at the infirmary, NHS Grampian said.

It said: “As a returning health care worker who had recently been in west Africa, they were tested for Ebola as a precaution, although they had not been in contact with anyone who had the disease.

“A blood sample was taken to the testing facility in Edinburgh and has been confirmed as negative for Ebola.”

The highest number of confirmed Ebola cases are in Sierra Leone, 9,409, with 2,732 deaths in the country. Of the total global 7,857 deaths, the highest were in Liberia with 3,413.

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