In brief
A British doctor who contracted Ebola while treating patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been flown to London, where he is in an isolation unit receiving focused treatment. The evacuation demonstrates close cooperation between UK and Congolese health authorities amid the ongoing outbreak.
A British doctor who tested positive for Ebola while working on the epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been air‑lifted to Britain and is receiving specialist treatment in an isolation unit in London, the UK government said on Thursday.
The doctor, who had been treating patients at a health centre in Kinshasa, was identified through a routine testing protocol that identified the virus early in the course of his illness.
He was flown by a joint operation involving the Royal Air Force and Belgian Air Ambulance, according to officials who coordinated the lift with Congolese authorities.
London’s London Health Centre was prepared to provide dedicated isolation facilities, with a team of infectious disease specialists briefed on protocols for managing high‑risk viral haemorrhagic fevers.
UK and Congolese health ministries praised the smooth cooperation, noting that the rapid response was made possible by pre‑existing liaison mechanisms established during previous outbreaks.
