A government document seen by Reuters confirms that a British healthcare worker infected with Ebola is being medically evacuated from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Britain for specialist treatment, set to arrive on Wednesday or Thursday before transfer to a high‑consequence infectious disease unit.
The patient, who was working for a humanitarian organisation on the outbreak response, is described as stable and in good condition. A spokesperson for Britain’s government told Reuters that the risk to the UK public remains low and that no disruption of international travel or trade is expected.
Background
The evacuation comes after the DRC’s outbreak, the second‑largest on record, with more than 10,000 confirmed cases and nearly 5,000 deaths reported by late October. The case marks the first British national linked to the current outbreak; several other European nationals have also been infected.
Switzerland last month evacuated an Ebola patient from Nigeria for treatment, while France reported its first confirmed case tied to the outbreak in a doctor returning from a humanitarian mission in Congo. WHO estimates the disease is fatal in about half of cases on average, though mortality rates vary between outbreaks.
British health authorities note that imported Ebola cases are rare, with only four confirmed cases recorded in Britain since 1976, according to the UK Health Security Agency. They also said the National Health Service has procedures in place for suspected and confirmed infections.