Ebola latest: Madrid nurse's dog put to death

1820: Excalibur, the dog of the Spanish nurse who has been diagnosed with Ebola in Madrid, has been put down, according to sources from the Ministry of Health of the Community of Madrid. Nursing assistant Teresa Romera's pet will be taken to an incinerator after being put to death by members of the Biological Safety Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), who have assured that the animal "has not suffered".

1627: Thomas Eric Duncan, the Ebola patient that was hospitalised in Dallas last week, has died, according to reports by Texas Health.

1605: According to reports, medical staff at the Alcorcon hospital in Madrid – where Teresa Romero Ramos who tested positive to the deadly Ebola virus on Monday was initially treated – have complained of insufficient measures to prevent infection. Staff with no training in dealing with isolation cases were responsible for treating the nurse during the first day she spent in hospital.

1549: The Ministry of Defence has announced it will send 750 military personnel to Sierra Leone to help tackle Ebola outbreak.

1238: Madrid's public prosecutor's office has announced that they are starting proceedings to examine the circumstances surrounding the spread of the Ebola virus.

1105: Four NHS hospitals have been put on standby to deal with the Ebola virus should it reach the UK. It comes as health officials admitted there is a "real risk" that the deadly disease could hit Britain. The four hospitals include the Royal Free in north London, which had already been set up to deal with any cases several months ago.

10:41: Breaking news in Spain: the first nurse infected by the Ebola virus Teresa Romero no longer has a fever. On Wednesday she will receive her third treatment.

1020: Analysts at Cantor say that if the Ebola case in Spain is a one-off and the virus is contained then the European airline sector should "rally sharply". Read the full story on the Cantor note here.
0956: Spanish press is reporting the quarantine of the nurse who showed signs of fever in what could become the third case of contagion.

0850: Spanish police have reportedly broken into the infected nurse's home in order to capture her dog. They plan on sacrificing the animal to be sure that there is no contagion risk.

0822: In a statement to the press, the first nurse infected by the Ebola virus said that “I followed all the protocols. I have no idea how this could have happened”.

0816: Another nurse that was on the team attending the Spanish missionaries who were repatriated to Madrid was reportedly admitted to the Carlos III hospital in the country's capital after it was noted that she had “a few degrees of fever”, according to Spanish news agency EFE.

0815: Good morning and welcome to our rolling coverage of the latest events in Madrid, following news that a first case of Ebola infection was confirmed in the Spanish capital.

8 September

1630: Close UK stocks ended firmly lower on Tuesday, although the punishment meted out by investors was considerably less than for the rest of Europe. Nonetheless, US equities were lower from the very start of trading as well. The trigger for the latest spate of selling, which was concentrated on the travel and leisure sectors, were clearly the worries surrounding the Ebola virus. Nevertheless, there are seasonal factors at play and there are lingering worries regarding the outlook for growth globally. Also to be taken into account however, anything that slows the gears of global transport links can quickly have a distinct negative effect on economic prospects.

1505: Airlines are now the second worst faller in US markets, trading lower by 1.82%, while on the Footsie they are clearly the main factor on the downside.

1459: So far 52 people are under medical surveillance in Madrid.

1433: Public health England (PHE) has said there are no plans to bring Ebola screenings to British airports.

14:23: Spanish nurse may have spread Ebola after sitting public sector exams.

1357: The nurse who has been infected by Ebola in Madrid participated in public sector exams in a government building a few days ago, potentially spreading the virus, according to Spanish website el Periodico Sociedad.

1312: The White House is "talking about" increasing its screening of travellers coming from Ebola-infected countries, NBC News reports.

1209: Three other potential Ebola cases are being monitored at the Spanish hospital where one case has already been confirmed.

1155: Canada has sent its first shipment of aid supplies to Sierra Leone, one of the countries worst-hit by the virus. It includes 128,000 face shields and said more personal protective equipment would be sent by both sea and air. It comes after the UN launched an appeal for aid.

1048: Staff at the Madrid hospital where the first case of Ebola was contracted outside of west Africa have blamed substandard equipment and a failure to follow protocol. A Spanish nurse at Madrid’s Carlos III hospital, who treated a patient repatriated from Sierra Leone, has twice tested positive for Ebola. The health professionals at the hospital told El País that the protective suits they were given did not meet World Health Organisation standards, which require the suits to be impermeable and include a breathing apparatus.

1015: Shares of listed Spanish hotel operators such as NH Hotels and Melia are getting knocked lower as well.

1014: Spain's Director General of Public Health, Mercedes Vinuesa, is reminding journalists that the virus is not infectious until symptoms appear.

1011: The European Commission has reportedly asked Madrid for "explanations".

1003: Japan’s Fujifilm Holdings Corp. has created an anti-influenza drug as a potential treatment for Ebola virus. The news has sent the company's shares to a six-year high

0920: Shares of IAG have been laid low by confirmation of the first infection with Ebola in Western Europe, namely in Spain.

0913: According to local reports Spain's Antena 3 TV channel said that overnight various people tested positive for Ebola, but the reports are unconfirmed. The acrimony in the flow of news out of Spain is patent early Tuesday morning. Some reports hold that the nurse which became infected had asked to be tested for the tropical virus six days before dying, but her petition was apparently denied.

0900: Good morning and welcome to our rolling coverage of the latest events in Madrid, following news that a first case of Ebola infection was confirmed in the Spanish capital.

7 September