Scotland is to get a new testing facility to help identify any possible cases of the deadly Ebola virus, the Health Secretary has announced.
Alex Neil said the new centre, which will be established in the Lothian area in a few weeks' time, meant that medics would not have to send blood samples south of the border to discover if patients had the disease.
The Scottish Government is providing funding to NHS Lothian to provide a testing service for viral haemorrhagic fevers - such as Ebola and yellow fever - from the start of December.
Mr Neil also announced that oil and gas workers travelling to and from parts of west Africa affected by the outbreak would be subject to the same monitoring arrangements as volunteers and aid workers who are providing assistance in west African countries such as Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
While he said he was not convinced it was "proportionate or necessary" for people arriving in Scotland to be screened for the disease, the Health Secretary confirmed: "I am ready to implement screening if our assessment changes."
He added: "We are also working with the oil and gas industry to ensure that any coming or going to affected countries will have access to the same monitoring arrangements in place for medical volunteers."
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