Northern Ireland's Public Health Agency has confirmed that a patient is being tested for Ebola.

The person is being cared for at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

It is understood the individual has tested positive for malaria, and is now being tested for Ebola.

In a statement, the Public Health Authority said it "is liaising with colleagues and has advised that there is no increased risk to the wider community".

A spokesman added: "'It is important to note that the likelihood of contracting Ebola is extremely low unless the person had come into contact with blood or body fluids of a symptomatic person."

The World Health Organisation says the death toll from the latest Ebola outbreak is approaching 5,000, mainly in west Africa, with a total of around 14,000 cases.

Earlier this week Médecins Sans Frontières confirmed that there has been a significant reduction in the number of new Ebola cases in Liberia - the country that has seen the most deaths of all the West African countries affected by the current outbreak.

MSF has said that one of its treatment centres in the country currently has no cases. However, MSF also warned that the virus was still on the rise in Guinea and Sierra Leone.