An Australian nurse treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone has been airlifted to the UK for observation, her government has said.

The nurse, reported to be a woman, has not been diagnosed with Ebola and was transferred to Britain following what the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said was a "low risk clinical incident".

It comes as a patient admitted to hospital in Scotland after returning from Ebola-hit west Africa has tested negative for the killer virus.

A statement from the DFAT said: "An Australian nurse will undergo observation in the United Kingdom following a low risk clinical incident at the Australian-managed Ebola Treatment Centre (ETC) in Sierra Leone.

"The nurse was transferred to the United Kingdom consistent with the guarantees secured by the Australian government as a condition to establishing the treatment centre.

"The individual, who for privacy reasons has not been named, has not been diagnosed with Ebola, and her transferral to the UK for a 21-day observation period is a precautionary step.

"The Australian-funded ETC has strict infection prevention protocols in place, and the safety of staff and patients is paramount."

The Australian-funded Ebola Treatment Centre has a capacity of 38 beds and has so far seen 18 patients recover from the disease.

Meanwhile, a patient, also reported to be a woman, was screened for infection at Edinburgh's Western General Hospital after reporting a raised temperature, NHS Lothian said.

But the hospital confirmed the negative test on Twitter, saying: "The patient admitted to the Regional Infectious Diseases Unit at the Western General Hospital yesterday has tested negative for Ebola.

"We have robust systems in place to manage patients with suspected infectious diseases and staff follow tested national guidelines."

Melanie Johnson, director of unscheduled care at the health board, previously said the test was done as "a precautionary measure" and the patient was kept in isolation.

The suspected Ebola case in Edinburgh comes around 24 hours after Northampton General Hospital said it was treating a possible case.

The hospital has since confirmed that the female patient, who has a history of travel to west Africa, tested negative for the deadly virus.

Earlier, a Scottish Government spokesman said: "Scotland has a robust health protection surveillance system which monitors global disease outbreaks and ensures that we are fully prepared to respond to such situations."

Scottish nurse Pauline Cafferkey is still being treated for Ebola at the London's Royal Free Hospital.

The volunteer from Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire, is in a stable condition after being taken off the critical list this week.

She remains in an isolation unit after contracting the disease while helping patients in Sierra Leone with Save the Children.

The charity is investigating how Ms Cafferkey came to be infected.

A sample from the Northampton Hospital patient was sent for testing to Public Health England (PHE), which said it was ''usual practice" to investigate all possible causes of the woman's illness, after she initially tested negative for malaria.

A PHE spokesman said: ''It is important to remember that the infection can only be transmitted through contact with the bodily fluids - such as blood, vomit or faeces - of an infected person.

''We have advised all front-line medical practitioners and NHS call handlers to be alert to signs and symptoms of Ebola in those returning from affected areas and following such advice we would expect to see an increase in testing.''

In a statement about the patient tested in Edinburgh, the Scottish Government said: "The individual was transferred by the Scottish Ambulance Service to hospital on Thursday afternoon. As the individual had recently returned from one of the West African countries affected by the Ebola outbreak and felt unwell, they were tested for Ebola and other infections as a precaution.

"A blood sample was taken and tested at the viral haemorrhagic fever testing facility in Edinburgh and found to be negative for Ebola."