Ebola UK: British person infected in DRC outbreak will be evacuated home

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A British healthcare worker infected with Bundibugyo Ebola during an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is expected to be evacuated to the United Kingdom. The patient is reported stable, and UK authorities say specialist procedures are in place while the risk to the public remains low.

A British man who has tested positive for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is to be flown back to the UK.The man, described as a healthcare worker by the Reuters news agency, is reported to be in a stable condition.1This is the first confirmed case of a British citizen becoming infected in the current outbreak, and once in the UK he would also become the first ever recorded case of Bundibugyo Ebola in the country. Only four previous cases of Ebola, of any strain, have been confirmed in the UK since 1976.A UK government spokesperson commented, “The UK has well established procedures for dealing with cases like this, and those processes have been activated. Further information will be shared in due course as appropriate. The risk to the UK public from Ebola remains low.”Under NHS procedures the man will be transferred to a specialist infectious disease...