A British healthcare worker who tested positive for Ebola while on duty in the Democratic Republic of Congo is expected to be flown back to the UK for further treatment. The Foreign Office has confirmed that a British citizen has contracted the illness and moved to reassure the public that the risk from Ebola remains low.
Patient in stable condition ahead of repatriation
The individual contracted the disease while working as a healthcare professional in the DRC. Reports indicate the patient is currently in a stable condition and is expected to arrive in the UK later today or tomorrow, November 5. They will be transported via a specialist ambulance to an infectious disease unit in Britain, though the precise location has not been revealed.
In a statement, a Foreign Office spokesperson said: "A British citizen currently in the DRC has tested positive for Ebola. The risk to the UK public from Ebola remains low."
Outbreak death toll surpasses 5,000
Last month, the death toll from DR Congo's Ebola outbreak surpassed 5,000, as the country continues to struggle against the relentless spread of the virus. Figures released by the DR Congolese ministry of health revealed that the disease has claimed 5,026 lives from 10,351 recorded infections, representing a fatality rate of nearly 50%.
The escalating crisis is raising serious concerns amongst experts over the authorities' capacity to bring the deadly virus under control. The current outbreak, attributed to the Bundibugyo strain, was declared in mid-May, taking authorities off guard, and has proved difficult to manage ever since. This is already the second deadliest Ebola outbreak on record, surpassed only by a two-year epidemic across West Africa between 2014 and 2016, which claimed 11,000 lives across several nations.
WHO official highlights severity
"It is a very tragic milestone because it is just not a number," said Dr Patrick Otim, a programme area manager with the World Health Organisation. "It is families and communities that have been devastated by this outbreak. The number also shows the severity of this outbreak."
A total of 2,788 people have so far recovered from the virus. The Bundibugyo strain has no known vaccine or cure, though medical staff treat patients according to their symptoms.
Spread across health zones
Since May, the disease has spread to 67 of the country's 178 health zones across eight of 26 provinces. Of the 67 affected health zones, 50 continue to report active cases.
The virus has been largely concentrated in the eastern region of DR Congo, particularly in Ituri and North Kivu, which have emerged as the epicentres with 9,782 total confirmed cases and 4,792 total deaths.
