Andrew Burton | Getty Images
A nurse from the Center for Disease Control's
Domestic Infection Control Team for the Ebola Response, demonstrate how
to properly put on protective medical gear in New York.
The condition of Pauline Cafferkey, a Scottish nurse who
this week became the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola on UK soil,
has deteriorated and is now critical, the Royal Free Hospital said on
Saturday, as it emerged that another patient had tested negative for the
deadly virus at a hospital in Swindon
The 39-year-old's sudden change in condition comes after her doctor described her as sitting up, eating, drinking and communicating with her family on New Year's Day.
Michael Jacobs, one of the medics treating her, warned that she faced a "critical" few days while she was treated with the blood from a survivor and an experimental antiviral
drug which is "not proven to work."
Read MoreEbola wrecks years of aid work in worst-hit countries
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said on Sunday that an individual with a history of travel to west Africa had tested negative for Ebola but remained under observation at the hospital.
"The test results have come back negative. The patient is continuing to stay within the hospital for treatment," the trust said.
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Ms Cafferkey was initially admitted to a hospital in Glasgow, the city in which she works as part of a public health team, after she returned from west Africa having flown via Morocco to London's Heathrow airport.
As her condition worsened she was transferred to an isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, north London.
However, the hospital was unable to obtain ZMapp, the drug used to treat fellow British volunteer nurse William Pooley, because "there is none in the world at the moment," Dr Jacobs said.
Mr Pooley, who was also treated at the Royal Free, made a full recovery and has since returned to Sierra Leone to continue treating those affected by the virus.
Questions have been raised over the effectiveness of screening procedures, after Ms Cafferkey was allowed to fly on to Glasgow, despite having her temperature taken seven times after she expressed concerns she might be developing a fever.
Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer, told ITV's Good Morning Britain on Wednesday that the way people returning to the UK from west Africa were monitored was under frequent review, "because this is a new process".
However, she emphasised that Ms Cafferkey had not exhibited symptoms when she boarded the plane to Scotland and her temperature had been "within the acceptable range."
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "It is important to remember that contact with blood or other body fluids is needed for Ebola to be transmitted from one person to another."
Read MoreEbola crisis back in focus as UK case confirmed
According to the World Health Organisation, the incubation period for Ebola is between two and 21 days. The current outbreak is the most serious to date, and more than 20,000 people have been infected in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. So far more than 7,800 have died from the disease.
On Friday, Public Health England confirmed all UK-based passengers and crew aboard the two flights taken by the nurse from Morocco and London had been contacted by medical authorities and given advice.
The 39-year-old's sudden change in condition comes after her doctor described her as sitting up, eating, drinking and communicating with her family on New Year's Day.
Michael Jacobs, one of the medics treating her, warned that she faced a "critical" few days while she was treated with the blood from a survivor and an experimental antiviral
drug which is "not proven to work."
Read MoreEbola wrecks years of aid work in worst-hit countries
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said on Sunday that an individual with a history of travel to west Africa had tested negative for Ebola but remained under observation at the hospital.
"The test results have come back negative. The patient is continuing to stay within the hospital for treatment," the trust said.
More from The Financial Times:
Brain power: Valley’s race to embrace Artificial Intelligence
Edward Luce: It’s mid-afternoon in America
NHS chief warns of ‘public backlash’ over spending
Ms Cafferkey was initially admitted to a hospital in Glasgow, the city in which she works as part of a public health team, after she returned from west Africa having flown via Morocco to London's Heathrow airport.
As her condition worsened she was transferred to an isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, north London.
However, the hospital was unable to obtain ZMapp, the drug used to treat fellow British volunteer nurse William Pooley, because "there is none in the world at the moment," Dr Jacobs said.
Mr Pooley, who was also treated at the Royal Free, made a full recovery and has since returned to Sierra Leone to continue treating those affected by the virus.
Questions have been raised over the effectiveness of screening procedures, after Ms Cafferkey was allowed to fly on to Glasgow, despite having her temperature taken seven times after she expressed concerns she might be developing a fever.
Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer, told ITV's Good Morning Britain on Wednesday that the way people returning to the UK from west Africa were monitored was under frequent review, "because this is a new process".
However, she emphasised that Ms Cafferkey had not exhibited symptoms when she boarded the plane to Scotland and her temperature had been "within the acceptable range."
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "It is important to remember that contact with blood or other body fluids is needed for Ebola to be transmitted from one person to another."
Read MoreEbola crisis back in focus as UK case confirmed
According to the World Health Organisation, the incubation period for Ebola is between two and 21 days. The current outbreak is the most serious to date, and more than 20,000 people have been infected in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. So far more than 7,800 have died from the disease.
On Friday, Public Health England confirmed all UK-based passengers and crew aboard the two flights taken by the nurse from Morocco and London had been contacted by medical authorities and given advice.
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