​Briton dies of suspected Ebola in Macedonia, his hotel sealed off

A Briton with symptoms of Ebola has died in Macedonia, local authorities said. The hotel in Skopje where he was staying has been sealed off, while another Briton and hotel staff are being kept inside to prevent possible spreading of infection.

According to Macedonian authorities the man came to Skopje from London on October 2 and was taken to hospital on Thursday where he died several hours later.

The man reportedly suffered from fever, vomiting and internal bleeding. His condition deteriorated rapidly, Dr. Jovanka Kostovska of the ministry's commission for infectious diseases said.

"We could not determine whether a citizen of England suffered from the disease. It is possible to question haemorrhagic fever,” Kostovska told MRT news, as she expects the results from the autopsy in two days’ time.

“The patient had symptoms of mild fever, 37.4 C, which does not correspond to Ebola, taking into account that the characteristic temperature for people with Ebola is above 38.5 C. However, rapid and severe clinical picture, vomiting, internal bleeding, and sudden and rapid death, symptoms of Ebola, raised suspicions,” Kostovska said.

The tests have been carried out to see if he had Ebola and have been sent to Germany's Frankfurt to confirm the disease.

A Macedonian government spokesman told the BBC that a companion of the late Briton told the local authorities that they had travelled straight from the UK and had not visited countries affected by Ebola

The ambulance crew and the hotel staff were isolated to prevent spreading of infection, and the hotel building was also sealed off.

A spokesman from the Macedonian Foreign Ministry said: "I can confirm that a British person has died and he is in the state hospital in Skopje,” The independent reports.

If the diagnosis is confirmed it will be the first case of a UK citizen dying of Ebola.

“We are aware of reports and we are looking into them urgently,” a Foreign Office spokesperson said.

Until recently, all Ebola victims either lived or visited Africa. Spanish nurse Teresa Romero was the first person in Europe to contract Ebola outside Africa.

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