British citizen tests positive for Ebola in DR Congo and will be treated in UK

A British citizen in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for Ebola and will be brought back to the UK for treatment.

The patient - identified as a healthcare worker by Reuters news agency - is said to be in a stable condition and is ​expected to arrive in Britain on Wednesday or Thursday.

They will be transferred to a specialist ambulance and then on to an infectious disease unit, according to reports.

The patient, who remains anonymous, was reportedly sent to DR Congo by a humanitarian organisation to support the country's response to the outbreak.

A Government spokesperson said: "A British citizen currently in the DRC has tested positive for Ebola.

"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."

Sky News understands there are only two places in the UK the patient could be taken for treatment - the Royal Free Hospital in London or the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

British authorities do not expect any disruption to international travel or trade, according to an official document seen by Reuters.

Sky News has approached UKHSA and FCDO for additional comment.

Several Europeans have previously been infected, but this is the first case involving a British national linked to the current outbreak - the world's second-largest ever.

Data released last week shows the death toll has surpassed 5,000, with over 10,000 people thought to be infected.

There are ​no approved treatments or vaccines to combat ⁠the rare Bundibugyo disease, which has triggered the ongoing outbreak.

Last month, Switzerland evacuated an ‌Ebola patient from Nigeria for treatment.

In June, France reported that a doctor returning from a humanitarian mission in DR Congo had contracted the virus.

Ebola ​is thought to be fatal in about half of cases on average, though ​mortality rates vary between outbreaks.

Only four confirmed cases have been recorded in Britain since 1976, according to the ⁠UK Health Security Agency.

Three of those cases involved health workers who responded to the outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2015.

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Dr Damien Tully, associate professor at the Medical Research Council and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit, said news of the British man's infection was "deeply concerning, but it is not entirely unexpected".

He added: "Healthcare workers are on the front line of these outbreaks, often treating severely ill patients under extremely challenging conditions. Even with rigorous protective measures, accidental exposures can occur."

Dr Tully added that the risk to the British public from this medical evacuation is "extremely low" because Ebola is "transmitted primarily through direct contact with infected bodily fluids".

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