British man infected with Ebola in DR Congo arrives in UK for treatment
A British health worker has been evacuated to London after contracting Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The patient is receiving care at a specialist unit, and officials maintain that the risk to the general public remains low.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing severity of the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and the established international protocols for managing high-consequence infectious diseases.
Image source, Reuters By Henry Moore and Hugh Pym , Health editor Published 20 minutes ago A British man who tested positive for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been flown back to the UK.
The man, who is a health worker and has not been identified, landed at RAF Northolt before being transported to a specialist infectious diseases unit at the Royal Free Hospital in north London.
It is the first confirmed case of a UK national contracting Ebola during the most recent outbreak of the rare but deadly virus in DR Congo, which has so far led to more than 5,000 deaths.
Speaking earlier this week, a UK government spokesperson said there were "well-established procedures for dealing with cases like this" and that the risk to the public remains low.
What is Ebola and why is stopping the latest outbreak so difficult?
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