FRONTLINE staff at Royal Bolton Hospital are receiving specialist training in case a patient infected with the deadly virus Ebola arrives at A&E.

Doctors and nurses are being taught what to do should they suspect a patient has the highly contagious disease, which has killed almost 5,000 people worldwide.

Jack Bene, chief executive of the hospital, told a board meeting on Thursday that they have been working with the Department for Health to come up with an emergency plan.

The hospital already has a stock of protective equipment and clothing, but Ms Bene explained there are specific processes to Ebola which involve isolating the patient immediately and setting up quarantines.

She said: “We are fairly well prepared, and training is underway should a patient with Ebola be admitted to the Trust.

“We have the necessary clothing and equipment for staff.

“There are particular processes to stop the spread of Ebola in relations to ‘gowning up’ and decontamination.

“The training is more than usual for contagious diseases, there’s a specific programme that we need to follow.”

If a patient has arrived from West Africa and is believed to have symptoms of Ebola, Bolton doctors would move to immediately isolate them and quarantine the A&E department.

The virus has had devastating consequences in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, where the death rate is 70 per cent.

Initial symptoms of Ebola include a fever, headache, joint and muscle pain, which is usually followed by vomiting, diarrhoea and a rash.

The function of the liver and kidneys deteriorates rapidly as the disease progresses, until victims begin to bleed internally and externally.

Most people become infected by giving care to Ebola sufferers — either by touching the victim’s body or cleaning up bodily fluids that carries infectious blood.

So far there is only been one ‘imported’ case of Ebola in the UK, and the likelihood of catching the disease is considered very low.

Advice released to health care practitioners to Public Health England states: “While the UK might see cases of imported Ebola, there is minimal risk of it spreading to the general population.

“England has a world class health care system with robust infection control system and processes and disease control systems which have a proven record of dealing with imported infectious diseases.

“Ebola causes most harm in countries with less developed healthcare facilities and public health capacity.”