Madrid airport activates Ebola emergency protocol

The emergency protocol for dealing with a possible Ebola case was activated at Madrid's Adolfo Suarez-Barajas Airport Thursday afternoon after a passenger on a flight from Paris showed symptoms similar to a possible infection of the virus.

The patient, a Nigerian man, arrived in Madrid on an Air France flight from Paris, but was reported to have begun his journey in the Nigerian city of Lagos. The plane crew alerted Spanish authorities after he complained of fever, a headache and sweating, Xinhua reported.

The aircraft, which was carrying 156 passengers and seven crew, was taken to a special area which has been designated at Barajas airport to deal with situations such as this and the man will be taken to the Carlos III Hospital in Madrid, where nursing auxiliary, Teresa Romero, is currently being treated for the virus.

The remaining passengers were allowed to disembark from the plane after having their details taken and instructed to get in contact with the hospital should they develop signs of fever.

Thursday also saw another person, who had contact with Romero before she was admitted to hospital, taken to the Carlos III Hospital after developing a high fever.

The patient, who health authorities confirm is not a medical worker, had formed part of a group of over 50 people considered to be "low risk" of being infected with Ebola.

Meanwhile, Romero's state continues to give ground for optimism.

"The level of the virus has diminished... Her immune system is being able to control the infection," Fernando Simon, director of the Centre for Alerts and Sanitary Emergencies, said Thursday.

Simon added that Romero's internal organs were "improving", and said there were "clear signs for hope", 17 days after first developing symptoms of the disease.