A British medical worker who contracted Ebola while supporting efforts to contain an outbreak of the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has been flown to London for specialist treatment, the UK government has confirmed.
The unnamed British national “has returned to the UK for specialist treatment after testing positive for the disease”, the government said in a statement on Thursday.
The medic is receiving treatment at the Royal Free Hospital in London, which houses a high-level isolation unit specifically designed to manage patients with highly infectious diseases.
According to the government, the facility has strict infection-control measures and protocols in place to prevent any contact between the patient and the general public.
Renu Bindra, deputy director of the All Hazards Public Health Response Team at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), sought to reassure the public, saying the risk of further transmission remained low.
“The risk to the wider public remains low,” she said.
Africa’s latest Ebola outbreak has claimed more than 5,300 lives, with the overwhelming majority of deaths recorded in DR Congo, according to the continent’s leading public health agency.
The development comes amid renewed concerns about the spread of the deadly virus, following a separate case reported in Nigeria last month.
Nigeria confirmed an Ebola case involving a 42-year-old Swiss woman whose husband works at the country’s embassy. She was subsequently flown to Geneva, Switzerland, for treatment.
AFP
