Two children, who had arrived in Britain from Africa, are being tested for Ebola, according to media reports .

The children are said to be showing viral symptoms and are being monitored at the infectious diseases isolation unit at the Royal Victoria Infirmary at Newcastle, in Britain, The Independent reported.

Public Health England (PHE) did not confirm which country the children had travelled to, or whether that country has been affected by Ebola, but said that the children were also being screened for malaria.

However, a PHE spokesperson said that it was “unlikely” that the children were infected and were being tested as a precautionary measure.

“Due to uncertainty about where in Africa the children came from and when they arrived in Britain, they are being tested for Ebola and malaria as a precaution,” the spokesperson said.

“However, the clinical and PHE risk assessment is that Ebola is unlikely. People who have been in contact with the children have been advised to continue as normal,” he clarified.

Ebola is a disease caused by the Ebola virus. Symptoms of the disease typically start between two days and three weeks after a person contracts the virus.

In the beginning, the symptoms may range from fever, sore throat, muscle pain, and headache.

Then, vomiting and diarrhoea usually follow, along with decreased functioning of the liver and kidneys. Some of those affected may also begin to bleed both internally and externally.

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed almost 5,700 people in the worst-affected countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Of the 100 people tested in Britain for the virus, all of them have received the “all-clear” and only patients diagnosed abroad have been treated in the country.