British Ebola victim who died in Macedonia had never been to Africa

[link to www.dailymail.co.uk]

A British man has died of suspected Ebola in the Macedonian capital of Skopje.

If confirmed, the unnamed 58-year-old is the first British victim of the Ebola outbreak that has killed thousands in West Africa and has spread to North America and Europe.

A second man, a friend of the deceased, has also shown symptoms of the disease. The man's death and nationality was confirmed by the Macedonian Foreign Ministry this evening.

The spokesman said the friend told the authorities there they had travelled to Skopje directly from Britain and had not been in any country known to have Ebola outbreaks - raising the terrifying possibility that he contracted the disease in the UK or Macedonia.

The UK Foreign Office says it is investigating the incident. So far the epidemic, the worst on record since Ebola was discovered in 1976, has claimed 3,800 lives and infected at least 8,000 people.