Colchester Hospital centre was shut for possible Ebola case

Part of Colchester General Hospital in Essex was closed from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday morning

A section of a hospital was temporarily shut due to a "possible" case of Ebola, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.

The urgent treatment centre at Colchester General Hospital was closed to new patients from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday morning.

The East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust said it shut due to an "infection control issue".

UKHSA said there were "currently no confirmed cases of Ebola in the UK".

"As a matter of routine, there is a precautionary panel of tests for people who return from various areas of the world with a variety of symptoms," said a spokesman for the agency.

A spokeswoman for the NHS trust said on Thursday: "Thank you to all our patients and staff for their support yesterday afternoon when we had to temporarily close one clinical area at Colchester Hospital, the urgent treatment centre, to new patients.

"This was because of an infection control issue. The centre is now fully open."

Ebola is a deadly virus with initial symptoms that can include a sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain and a sore throat.

Recently, authorities in Uganda have been trying to contain an outbreak.