World

UK national tests positive for Ebola virus in DR Congo

A British government spokesperson says the risk to the UK public from Ebola remains low.

UK national tests positive for Ebola virus in DR Congo

DR Congo has been facing the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country's history

A British national in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for Ebola, the UK government has confirmed.

A spokesperson said the UK "has well-established procedures for dealing with cases like this" and that the risk to the public remains low.

This is the first confirmed case of a UK national contracting Ebola in the latest outbreak of the rare but deadly virus in DR Congo, which has so far caused more than 5,000 deaths.

The Foreign Office did not say whether the patient would be returned to the UK for treatment, although a British national who was exposed to the virus in July was flown back for medical care, as have previous nationals infected overseas.

Reuters news agency reported that the latest patient is a healthcare worker and would be brought to the UK, citing an internal document BBC News has not seen.

A UK government spokesperson said: "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."

There have been more than 10,000 confirmed cases since the outbreak began in May.

It has since become the deadliest in the country's history, with a fatality rate of 48.6% reported at the end of last month.

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