British healthcare worker with Ebola evacuated from DR Congo to Britain — The Guardian

A healthcare worker from the United Kingdom infected with the Ebola virus is being evacuated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Britain for specialised treatment. The patient is in stable condition and is expected to arrive in the country on Wednesday or Thursday.

Transfer to a specialised unit

After arriving in Britain, the patient will be transported by a specialised ambulance to a unit for the treatment of highly dangerous infections. According to The Guardian, information about the medical evacuation is contained in an official document reviewed by Reuters.

A UK government spokesperson confirmed to Reuters that a British citizen in the DR Congo had tested positive for Ebola. British authorities assess the risk to the country's population as low and do not expect the case to have a significant impact on public health, international travel or trade.

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Work during the outbreak

The patient's identity has not been disclosed. The healthcare worker was sent to the DR Congo by a humanitarian organisation to support the response to the disease outbreak. This is the first infection of a UK citizen linked to the current outbreak, although several people from other European countries had previously been infected.

Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. According to the World Health Organization, the disease is fatal in about half of cases on average, although fatality rates vary between outbreaks. Four confirmed imported cases of Ebola have been recorded in the United Kingdom since 1976.

The current outbreak in the DR Congo is the second largest on record: by the end of October, more than 10,000 confirmed cases and nearly 5,000 deaths had been reported.