First British Ebola case in outbreak: healthcare worker evacuated from DR Congo to UK

Evacuation and treatment plans

The UK government confirmed that a British citizen in DR Congo had tested positive for Ebola. A spokesperson said established procedures had been activated and the risk to the UK public remained low.

The patient’s identity has not been made public. An official document seen by Reuters said the patient was stable and expected in Britain on Wednesday or Thursday, followed by transfer in a specialist ambulance to a high-consequence infectious disease unit.

First British case in outbreak

A humanitarian organisation sent the healthcare worker to DR Congo to support the outbreak response. This is the first case in the current outbreak involving a British national contracting Ebola.

The outbreak was declared by DR Congo’s health ministry on 15 May. It has passed 10,000 cases and 5,000 deaths, making it the largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country’s history.

It is DR Congo’s 17th Ebola outbreak and is caused by the Bundibugyo virus. There is no approved treatment for that virus, although vaccine trials are under way.

Spread beyond DR Congo

The outbreak has spread to Kenya and Uganda. Last month, Nigeria reported a case in Abuja after a woman arriving from Uganda tested positive; she and a close contact were evacuated to Switzerland for treatment. Kaseya said three African regions had been affected for the first time and described the outbreak’s geographic extension as unprecedented.

UK preparedness and public risk

Ebola is a severe, highly contagious illness that is often fatal. It can spread through direct contact with bodily fluids, including blood or vomit, from infected people, or through contact with dead bodies. The UK Health Security Agency says Britain has recorded four confirmed cases since 1976.