Irish man tests negative for Ebola virus

Laboratory test samples of an Irish man, who died after recently returning from Africa, have proved negative for Ebola virus, health authorities in Ireland said Friday.

Ireland's Health Service Executive (HSE), in a statement, said the infection control procedures, which had been put in place as a precautionary measure, will now be stepped down, Xinhua reported.

Dessie Quinn, who was in his 40s, was found dead Thursday.

Quinn was originally from the Donegal town in northwest Ireland and had returned to Ireland in recent weeks after working in Sierra Leone, a west African country badly hit with Ebola virus outbreak.

He had reportedly been receiving treatment for malaria but not as an admitted patient to any health facility.

Quinn was visiting relatives in Donegal when he became ill and died. His body was removed to a local hospital for Ebola virus tests.

In Ireland, the HSE is responsible for the provision of healthcare providing health and personal social services for everyone living in the country with public funds.

The death toll due to the Ebola virus continues to rise in west Africa and currently stands at 1,350, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.

Of that number, 576 have died in Liberia where the outbreak is most severe and efforts to contain the virus are deemed most critical, a WHO statement said Wednesday.