British citizen tests positive for Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo

British health worker tests positive for Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo It is the first case in the current outbreak that involves a British national - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in A British healthcare worker in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for Ebola, the UK government has confirmed. It is the first case involving a British national linked to the current outbreak. Reuters has seen an official document that says that the British citizen, who has not been named, is being medically evacuated from the Congo to the UK for specialist treatment. The patient is in a stable condition and is expected to arrive in the UK on Wednesday or Thursday. They will be transferred by a specialist ambulance to a high-consequence infectious disease unit, the document showed. The Democratic Republic of Congo has been battling an outbreak of the deadly virus, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain, since May. The outbreak has since surpassed 10,000 cases with almost 5,000 deaths across four African countries. The patient had been sent to Congo by a humanitarian organisation to help support the response to the outbreak. In October, Switzerland evacuated an Ebola patient from Nigeria for treatment, while in June, France reported its first confirmed case tied to the outbreak in a doctor returning from a humanitarian mission. The document seen by Reuters quoted British authorities saying they did not expect the case to have a serious public health impact in Britain, and anticipated no disruption to international travel or trade. A British citizen currently in the DRC has tested positive for Ebola,” a spokesperson for the government said in an emailed statement. “The risk to the UK public from Ebola remains low.” Ebola is a severe viral disease spread through direct contact with an infected person's bodily fluids. The World Health Organization says the disease is fatal in about half of cases on average, though mortality rates vary between outbreaks. British health authorities say the risk to the wider public from imported Ebola cases remains low and the NHS has procedures in place to manage suspected and confirmed infections. Imported cases are rare, with only four confirmed cases recorded in Britain since 1976, according to the UK Health Security Agency. The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the second-largest on record, with more than 10,000 confirmed cases and nearly 5,000 deaths reported by late October. This is a breaking news story. More follows. Subscribe here to get the latest updates from The Independent. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments