Dutch hospital sealed off but ebola scare proves false alarm

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Dutch emergency services say an ebola scare that led them to seal off part of a hospital in the port city of Rotterdam has turned out to be a false alarm.

The Rijnmondveilig agency co-ordinates emergency responses in the Rotterdam region. It tweeted early Thursday that a patient entered the Maasstad Hospital on Wednesday night with “a suspicion of ebola infection.” However, it added, “it has just been confirmed that it is not ebola.”

Photos taken before the all-clear was given showed red and white tape sealing off the entrance of the hospital’s emergency room.

An outbreak of the highly contagious virus in Congo has killed more than 1,800 people, nearly a third of them children. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a global health emergency.