A British citizen has tested positive for Ebola, it has been confirmed. The new case was registered in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the healthcare worker will now be sent back to the UK for treatment, Reuters reports. They are believed to be in stable condition and expected to arrive home on Wednesday or Thursday, when they will be taken to an infectious disease unit in a specialist ambulance.
The patient was reportedly sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo with a humanitarian organisation supporting the response to the Ebola outbreak.
This marks the first confirmed case of a UK national contracting Ebola during the most recent outbreak in the country, which has so far killed more than 5,000 people.
A Foreign Office spokesperson told Sky News: “A British citizen currently in the DRC has tested positive for Ebola. The risk to the UK public from Ebola remains low.”
A UK government spokesperson told the BBC: “The UK has well-established procedures for dealing with cases like this, and those processes have been activated.
“Further information will be shared in due course as appropriate. The risk to the UK public from Ebola remains low.”
Data from the Congolese Ministry of Health showed that the disease has killed 5,026 people out of 10,351 infected, at a nearly 50% lethality rate. The surge is sparking concerns among experts regarding the authorities’ ability to contain the deadly virus.
The latest outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, was declared in mid-May, catching authorities by surprise. They have since struggled to manage it.
It is already the second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, second only to a two-year-long West Africa outbreak between 2014 and 2016, which killed 11,000 people across multiple countries.
Dr Catherine Smallwood, the WHO’s lead for response in the DRC, said: “Until we stop the outbreak here in the DRC, and until the resources are put to do that, it will continue to pose a threat to other countries on the continent and the wider world.
“What we’d like to hear from the African CDC is a renewed commitment across the continent; all efforts will be placed in terms of trying to stop this outbreak where it’s happening.”
Some 2,788 people have recovered from the virus so far. The Bundibugyo virus has no known vaccine or treatment, but health workers treat patients based on symptoms.
Since May, the disease has spread to 67 out of the country’s 178 health zones in eight of 26 provinces. Fifty of the affected 67 health zones have active cases.
The virus has been concentrated in the eastern region of Congo, especially in Ituri and North Kivu, which have emerged as the epicentres with 9,782 total confirmed cases and 4,792 total deaths.
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This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
