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Testing facilities to be established in Scotland

Scotland will have the facility to test possible cases of Ebola virus by 1 December, Health Secretary Alex Neil told parliament yesterday.

The Scottish Government has provided funding to NHS Lothian to establish a national testing service for Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers, which includes Ebola. Currently test samples are sent to the south of England for analysis.

In a parliamentary statement, Mr Neil gave an update on Scotland’s preparations to deal with the possibility of an Ebola case.

He confirmed that oil and gas workers returning from west Africa will be given the same level of monitoring as health workers and aid workers on their return to Scotland. He also praised the Scottish health workers who have volunteered to go to west Africa to help tackle the outbreak.

Recently the Scottish Government Resilience Committee met to discuss the latest Ebola situation, attended by First Minister Alex Salmond, Mr Neil, Minister for Public Health Michael Matheson, and Minister for External Affairs and International Development Humza Yousaf.

Scotland has infectious disease specialists and units right across the country. But three of these units, with 24/7 consultant cover, will act as regional referral centres for managing possible cases of Ebola. These are in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. The Glasgow and Lanarkshire units will operate as a single regional centre for the west of Scotland.

There are no direct flights from west Africa to Scotland and there have been no Ebola cases anywhere in the UK.

The Scottish Government has already donated £500,000 to the World Health Organisation to help fight the Ebola outbreak, and last week it was announced that £300,000 worth of medical equipment, including more than 100,000 respirators and one million disposable aprons are being sent from Scotland.

Mr Neil said:

“The risk of an Ebola case appearing in Scotland remains low. However, that does not mean we are complacent.

“I am pleased to be able to announce that from 1 December we will have the facility in Scotland to test for Ebola, and similar diseases. This will mean that should a possible case arrive we will be able to rapidly confirm whether we are dealing with a genuine case.

“Nigeria is the biggest oil producer in West Africa, which is officially free of Ebola, and so expat oil and gas workers there have no elevated risk. However, we are determined that those workers coming from affected countries, which are focussed on oil and gas exploration, will be offered the same level of monitoring that is provided to returning health workers, and I am pleased to be able to confirm that today.

“Scotland has infectious disease centres and expert teams of staff. We are well prepared to deal with any potential cases but I am also keen that we do our bit to help tackle the outbreak in the worst affected countries. That is why we have donated £500,000 to the World Health Organisation, and £300,000 worth of medical equipment. We will continue to work with aid organisations and the UK government to provide required support to those affected countries.”