A patient at the Royal Derby Hospital has been tested for the deadly virus ebola, hospital bosses have revealed.
Although the results came back negative for the virus, medics at the hospital were able to try out their procedures for dealing with any suspected cases of the infection.
The Derby Telegraph reported last October how these included using protective suits and equipment, with an isolation room ready to hold any suspected case.
Hospital bosses said the incident happened in December.
Helen Forrest, lead infection control nurse for Derby's hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "We dealt with one suspected case of ebola in our A&E department.
"We were fully prepared for this possibility and immediately initiated our infectious disease procedures, with staff – wearing personal protective equipment – isolating the patient.
"Fortunately, tests showed a negative result. However, staff remain on alert for any possible case and are highly trained in dealing with infectious diseases."
A hospital spokesman said that due to patient confidentiality, it could not comment on what symptoms the patient had or whether they came from a country where ebola cases have been detected.
He said a sample from the patient would have been taken and sent away to a specialist laboratory, with the result coming back within 12 hours.
News of the Derby case came as the World Health Organisation said that almost 21,000 cases of ebola had been reported worldwide, resulting in 8,274 deaths.
Health experts said in the UK, the chances of developing the virus, which can not be transmitted via airborne infection, still remain low.
The exceptions are for those who have travelled to a known infected area and had direct contact with a person who has ebola and is showing symptoms, or had contact with an infected animal or contaminated objects.
Last month, nurse Pauline Cafferkey, of Glasgow, became the first person to be diagnosed with ebola on British soil after volunteering for the charity Save the Children in West Africa.
She had travelled home to Scotland via Casablanca, Morocco, and Heathrow Airport, in London.
Ms Cafferkey was placed in an isolation unit at Glasgow's Gartnavel Hospital after becoming feverish, before being transferred to London's Royal Free Hospital, where her condition is improving and is no longer critical.
