Spanish health worker flown home after possible Ebola contagion

Image
IANS Madrid
Last Updated : Nov 21 2014 | 10:20 PM IST

A Spanish health worker with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) arrived back in Spain Friday morning from Mali after being deemed at risk of contagion from the Ebola virus.

MSF confirmed the female health worker accidentally stabbed herself with a needle after injecting an Ebola patient.

She was flown to Madrid, arriving at the military airport of Torrejon, in a specially-equipped aircraft supplied by the MSF and taken to the Carlos III Hospital, Xinhua reported.

The patient will now be placed under observation, while tests to determine whether or not she is infected are carried out.

However, given that the gestation period of the Ebola virus is between two and 21 days, tests will not be carried out for 48 hours.

Spanish health authorities have stressed that for the moment she is only considered to be at "high risk", of having been infected, while MSF said that so far she was, "not ill and not at risk of infecting anyone".

The Carlos III Hospital is where two Spanish missionaries -- Miguel Pajares and Manuel Garcia Viejo -- both of whom died of the illness, were treated after being flown home from Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The hospital also treated the nursing auxiliary Teresa Romero, who was infected while treating Garcia Viejo. She recovered from the virus and left the hospital Nov 5.

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Nov 21 2014 | 10:12 PM IST

Next Story