The infected healthcare worker was evacuated from the Democratic Republic of Congo directly to a high-level isolation unit in north London. This is the fifth historical case of the virus treated within the UK, where all previous patients survived. Meanwhile, the central African epidemic continues to expand across borders, having already generated more than 10,000 confirmed infections since May.
Key points
The overall public health risk to the United Kingdom population remains very low accordin…: The overall public health risk to the United Kingdom population remains very low according to government officials.
All four previous historical Ebola patients treated inside the United Kingdom survived th…: All four previous historical Ebola patients treated inside the United Kingdom survived their infections.
The Bundibugyo variant driving the epidemic spreads through infected bodily fluids and ca…: The Bundibugyo variant driving the epidemic spreads through infected bodily fluids and carries a 48.6 percent fatality rate.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
- Published
A British man who tested positive for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been flown back to the UK.
The man, who is a health worker and has not been identified, landed at RAF Northolt before being transported to a specialist infectious diseases unit at the Royal Free Hospital in north London.
It is the first confirmed case of a UK national contracting Ebola during the most recent outbreak of the rare but deadly virus in DR Congo, which has so far led to more than 5,000 deaths.
Speaking earlier this week, a UK government spokesperson said there were "well-established procedures for dealing with cases like this" and that the risk to the public remains low.
What is Ebola and why is stopping the latest outbreak so difficult?
- Published15 September
The Royal Free Hospital successfully treated three health workers who had been evacuated after the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014 and 2015.
There have only been four confirmed cases of the virus in the UK - one, in 1976, resulting from a laboratory…
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