A British healthcare worker has tested positive for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The worker is being flown to the UK for treatment. A UK government spokesperson confirmed the case in a statement on Wednesday, The Guardian reported. The spokesperson said the UK's "well-established procedures" had been activated and that the risk to the UK public "remains low".
The patient has not been named and is in a stable condition. The worker was expected to land in Britain on Wednesday or Thursday, according to an official document seen by Reuters. A specialist ambulance will then take the patient to a "high consequence" infectious disease unit. The Royal Free hospital in London has a high-level isolation unit for diseases such as Ebola. Newcastle and Liverpool also have such centres.
A humanitarian organisation had sent the worker to DR Congo to help fight the outbreak. The Guardian said it is the first case of a British national catching Ebola in the current outbreak. Ebola spreads through direct contact with body fluids, such as the blood or vomit of infected people, or with dead bodies.
DR Congo's health ministry declared the outbreak on May 15. It has since passed 10,000 cases and 5,000 deaths. It is the second largest Ebola outbreak on record and the largest and deadliest in DR Congo's history. It was caused by the Bundibugyo virus. That strain has no approved treatment, although vaccine trials are under way.
The virus has spread to Kenya and Uganda. Last month Nigeria confirmed a case in Abuja, a woman who had arrived from Uganda. She and a close contact were evacuated to Switzerland. Two other patients have been evacuated to Germany and one to the Netherlands. France reported a case in July.
Last month Dr Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, told The Guardian the outbreak could reach the UK and other countries. He said it is the first time three African regions have been hit by Ebola. He urged countries on every continent to raise their preparedness and treatment capacity. The UK Health Security Agency says Britain has recorded only four confirmed cases since 1976.