A British humanitarian worker is being assessed in a London hospital after a potential exposure to Ebola while working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, health officials have confirmed.
The worker, who remains well and is not currently showing symptoms, was evacuated on a chartered flight as a precautionary measure, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. Specialists are monitoring and assessing the patient, who is a UK resident.
“UK health officials say risk low as British aid worker evacuated from DR Congo after potential Ebola exposure remains well.”
“This individual has been transferred out of an abundance of caution, and we’re pleased they remain well,” said Richard Pebody, director of epidemic and emerging infections at UKHSA. “The risk to the general public remains low.”
The case comes as the Democratic Republic of the Congo faces an Ebola outbreak that the World Health Organisation has described as a public health emergency. First declared in May, it is becoming the fastest-growing Ebola epidemic on record, with 2,344 cases reported on Saturday alone and 930 lives lost so far. The strain, known as Bundibugyo, is rare and currently has no vaccine or treatment.
Twenty cases have been confirmed outside DR Congo, including two deaths — one in Uganda and one in France. Last month, a doctor tested positive for Ebola after returning to France from a humanitarian mission; they have since recovered. In June, a potential case in Scotland triggered a hospital lockdown, but the patient ultimately tested negative.
The UK has not recorded a case of Ebola since 2015, when three health workers returned from Africa with the disease. The most high-profile was a Scottish nurse diagnosed in 2014 after treating patients in Sierra Leone. Colleagues believed she may have contracted the virus after attending a church service without her hazmat suit.
Those who may have come into contact with the current patient are being traced. Ebola can take between two and 21 days to incubate, during which time patients need to isolate. Humanitarian organisation Oxfam has warned that hygiene infrastructure and contact tracing protocols in DR Congo are failing to contain the spread, with only one in five health centres in the affected province functioning adequately.
The Democratic Republic’s Ministry of Health said on Monday: “Patient care and support capacities are consolidating, with 22 new recoveries recorded in 24 hours.”
