A British healthcare worker who tested positive for Ebola while working in the Democratic Republic of Congo is being flown back to the UK for specialist treatment. The Foreign Office has confirmed the case and said the risk to the UK public remains low.
Patient's condition and transfer plans
The patient is reported to be in a stable condition and could arrive in the UK later on Wednesday or on Thursday. They will then be transferred by specialist ambulance to a secure infectious diseases unit, although the location has not been disclosed.
In an official 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
The news comes weeks after the death toll from DR Congo's Ebola outbreak surpassed 5,000. Figures from the DR Congolese ministry of health show the disease has claimed 5,026 lives from 10,351 recorded infections, a lethality rate of nearly 50%.
The current surge, triggered by the Bundibugyo strain, was declared in mid-May. This outbreak has become the second most fatal Ebola epidemic on record, surpassed only by the West Africa crisis of 2014-2016, which claimed 11,000 lives.
So far, 2,788 individuals have recovered from the virus. The Bundibugyo virus has no known vaccine or treatment, so health workers treat patients based on symptoms.
Spread across health zones
Since May, the disease has spread to 67 of the nation's 178 health zones across eight of its 26 provinces. Active cases remain in 50 of these 67 affected zones.
The virus has hit the eastern territories of Ituri and North Kivu hardest, with 9,782 confirmed cases and 4,792 deaths in those areas.
