British doctor infected with Ebola in Congo being treated in London hospital
We are told the risk to the public remains low.
A British doctor who tested positive for Ebola while working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been brought back to the UK for specialised treatment, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
The doctor is receiving care in an isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London, where strict infection prevention and control protocols are in place to minimise the risk of transmission.
Dr Renu Bindra, deputy director of the UK Health Security Agency's All Hazards Public Health Response team, confirmed that the risk to the wider public remains low due to robust measures implemented by both UKHSA and the NHS.
The evacuation flight was organised in cooperation with the UK and DRC governments, alongside their international health partners.
The doctor was believed to be attending an Ebola outbreak in the DRC which, according to figures on the UN website, has resulted in more than 5,100 deaths.
Ebola has historically high fatality rates, with past outbreaks ranging from 25% to 90%.
The Royal Free Hospital's high-level isolation unit, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, has previously treated patients with viruses like Lassa fever and Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever.
Professor Emma Thomson from the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research emphasised the UK's preparedness, reassuring that the risk to the public is extremely low due to strict protocols and advanced clinical capabilities.
Dr Damien Tully warned of the challenges faced by healthcare workers in high-risk environments but noted the transmission risk remains low as Ebola mainly spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids, unlike airborne viruses such as Covid-19.