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

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

The health-worker fell ill on Monday at Torridon Youth Hostel in Ross-Shire.

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

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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 past 21 days.

It would not give further details about the woman, but a later statement from The Scottish Government said the woman had tested negative for Ebola.

NHS Grampian confirmed she was at the infirmary on Wednesday, but were yesterday unable to say if she was still there as she had been moved into a general ward. 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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