By Fatma Younis
A British healthcare worker infected with Ebola is being medically evacuated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United Kingdom for specialist treatment, according to an official document seen by Reuters. The patient is in stable condition and expected to arrive in Britain on Wednesday or Thursday before being transferred to a high-consequence infectious disease unit.
British authorities said they do not expect the case to have a serious public health impact in the UK, and anticipate no disruption to international travel or trade. A government spokesperson confirmed the risk to the UK public from Ebola remains low.
The worker, whose identity was not disclosed, had been sent to DR Congo by a humanitarian organisation to support the outbreak response. This is the first case involving a British national linked to the current outbreak, which has recorded more than 10,000 confirmed cases and nearly 5,000 deaths as of late October.
Other European countries have also evacuated Ebola patients, including Switzerland and France. The World Health Organization notes Ebola is fatal in about half of cases on average. The UK Health Security Agency says only four confirmed cases have been recorded in Britain since 1976.
