Fears slightly eased after suspected Ebola case transferred to specialist hospital in Spain

A woman has been admitted to a hospital in San Sebastian in Spain on suspicion she may have been infected with Ebola. The Donostia hospital is one of the seven centres in Spain that has a unit for the treatment of Ebola.

The 54-year-old Basque anthropologist raised alarm bells after recently travelling to the Central African Republic and presenting with symptoms similar to Ebola on her return.

However, the Basque health service said on Thursday afternoon it is "unlikely" that the woman who was transferred from Urduliz hospital in Bizkaia to Donostia hospital earlier on 1 June had contracted the virus. She is in a "serious but stable condition", according to the doctors treating her.

The Basque Health Service had activated an infectious disease protocol in the event of the suspected case of "haemorrhagic fever". It also reported that it is working to guarantee "the isolation and safety" of both the patient and the professional team attending her. “The woman is stable and awaiting the results that will confirm her diagnosis in the coming days,” it added.