Glasgow 2014: 4 days' quarantine for Sierra Leone cyclist in Ebola scare

A cyclist from Sierra Leone who is in Glasgow competing in the Commonwealth Games has revealed how he spent four days this week in quarantine as he was tested for Ebola. One of his team mates, due to join him in racing yesterday’s time trial, has disappeared from his accommodation and is reportedly missing.

Moses Sesay was tested for the virus, which has killed more than 700 people in the African country since March this year, after falling ill last week, reports Telegraph.co.uk.

Despite being given the all-clear, Sesay is scared to return home to Sierra Leone, and it is believed that fear of going back to the country while it is in the grip of an epidemic is also the reason for 25-year-old Mohamed Tholley failing to take to the start line for the time trial yesterday. His room key was subsequently discovered in his hotel room.

Sesay, who thanked medical staff at the Glasgow hospital where he was treated, said: "I was sick. I felt tired and listless. All the doctors were in special suits to treat me - they dressed like I had Ebola. I was very scared.

"I was admitted for four days and they tested me for Ebola. It came back negative but they did it again and this time sent it to London, where it was also negative."

The disruption to his training didn’t help Sesay’s preparations for the time trial – he finished in last place, 23 minutes 18 seconds behind the winner, Alex Dowsett of England.

A Glasgow 2014 spokesman said: "We can confirm an athlete was tested for a number of things when he fell ill last week, including Ebola. The tests were negative and the athlete competed in his event on Thursday.

"There is no Ebola in the Athletes Village of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games," he added.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister David Cameron said after convening a meeting of the emergency committee Cobra to discuss Ebola that the virus was viewed as a “very serious threat” to the UK.

However, the government has stressed that it unlike airborne viruses such as the common cold, Ebola can only be contracted through bodily fluids, limiting its ability to spread, advising people to take preventative measures such as washing their hands regularly.

The virus, which kills through causing internal haemorrhaging in its later stages, is said to be difficult to diagnose early on since other potential conditions the patient may be suffering from need to be ruled out first.