The UK has confirmed its first case of a British national contracting Ebola during the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with the patient expected to be flown back for specialist treatment.
The British healthcare worker, who has not been named, was sent to the country by a humanitarian organisation to support the outbreak response. The patient is reported to be in a stable condition.
According to media reports, the individual will be medically evacuated to the UK and transferred by a specialist ambulance to a high-consequence infectious disease unit. The timing of the flight has not yet been confirmed.
A UK government spokesperson said established procedures for dealing with cases of this nature had been activated.
“The UK has well-established procedures for dealing with cases like this, and those processes have been activated,” the spokesperson said.
The government added that further information would be shared when appropriate and that the risk to the UK public remained low.
Reuters reported that the patient was a healthcare worker, citing an internal document. The case is the first confirmed infection involving a British national in the current outbreak.
Imported Ebola cases in the UK are extremely rare. There have been four confirmed cases in the country, including one linked to a laboratory incident in 1976 and three involving healthcare workers who responded to the West African outbreak between 2014 and 2015. No deaths have resulted from these cases.
How serious is the current Ebola outbreak?
The outbreak in the DRC, which began in May, is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. It has spread beyond the country, with cases also confirmed in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda.
The outbreak has recorded more than 10,000 confirmed infections and almost 5,000 deaths across four African countries, making it one of the deadliest Ebola emergencies on record. It has become the deadliest recorded Ebola outbreak in the DRC.
A fatality rate of 48.6 per cent was reported at the end of October.
Ebola is a severe viral disease that can cause serious illness and death. Symptoms usually develop between two and 21 days after infection and can begin suddenly with a high temperature, extreme tiredness, headache and muscle pain.
Other symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and a skin rash. In severe cases, the disease can progress to organ failure and internal bleeding.
The virus spreads through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person, including vomit. It can also spread through contact with contaminated objects.
Are vaccines or treatments available for the Bundibugyo strain?
There is currently no approved vaccine or treatment specifically for the Bundibugyo strain, making the development of effective medical interventions a priority for the outbreak response.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said experts have recommended adding two candidate vaccines to an ongoing clinical trial. One has been developed by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India, while the other is from Moderna.
The candidates are expected to join the trial once they receive approval from Congolese health authorities. It would be the first time vaccines specifically designed to protect against the Bundibugyo strain have been tested during an outbreak.
The development comes amid wider international efforts to contain the spread of the virus and strengthen preparedness for future outbreaks.
The UK government has previously committed additional funding to support the Ebola response in the DRC, including surveillance, infection prevention and assistance for frontline healthcare workers.
The evacuation of the British patient is expected to be carried out using specialist medical arrangements designed to protect healthcare staff and prevent further transmission. Authorities have said the case is not expected to have a significant public health impact in the UK.
