UK citizen tests positive for Ebola
A British doctor who tested positive for Ebola while working on the epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been medically evacuated to the UK for specialist treatment, Qazinform News Agency reports.
According to the UK government, the patient is being treated in a high-level isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London. The unit is staffed by specialist clinical teams and specifically designed for this purpose.
The UK government coordinated the medical evacuation with the DRC government and international health partners. The transfer was carried out under established infection prevention and control procedures, which also apply to everyone involved in the patient’s care.
Dr Renu Bindra, Deputy Director of All Hazards Public Health Response at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said the risk to the wider public remains low, citing established infection prevention and control protocols.
Ebola does not spread through the air. It is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of a person who has symptoms. Staff treating the patient are equipped with personal protective equipment, while strict isolation protocols are in place to prevent contact with the public.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the World Health Organization (WHO) had recommended adding two new vaccine candidates to an ongoing Ebola clinical trial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), marking the first time vaccines specifically targeting the Bundibugyo virus would be tested during an outbreak.
