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British Airways passenger diagnosed with Ebola, isolated in Scotland

Posted at 2:40 PM, Dec 29, 2014
and last updated 2014-12-29 15:26:43-05

Ebola has passed through London’s Heathrow Airport and into Scotland.

BBC reports that a health care worker returning to Scotland from Sierra Leone has been diagnosed with Ebola. She traveled on British Airways flight BA1478, landing in Glasgow just before midnight Sunday, The Guardian reports.

She reported to the hospital Monday morning and was put in isolation. The patient will be transferred to Royal Free Hospital in London as soon as possible, the Scottish government said in a statement.

Heathrow is the third busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic.

“Our first thoughts at this time must be with the patient diagnosed with Ebola and their friends and family," said Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland. “Scotland has been preparing for this possibility from the beginning of the outbreak in West Africa and I am confident that we are well prepared."

The Ebola virus has killed more than 7,800 people in West Africa in the worst outbreak in history. The FDA recently authorized a 3-hour Ebola test for emergency use.

Gavin Stern is a national digital producer for the Scripps National Desk.