An Ebola probe has been launched in London after a British national was rushed to hospital following “potential exposure” to the deadly disease.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the Briton was recently in the Democratic Republic (DR) of the Congo, working for a humanitarian organisation supporting efforts to tackle the ongoing outbreak in central Africa.
The individual is not believed to be showing symptoms of the disease at this time as they remain in isolation.
They were recently evacuated from DR Congo “following a potential healthcare-related exposure to Ebola”, the UKHSA said.
The agency added: “The individual is not currently displaying any symptoms and remains well, but as a precautionary measure they have been evacuated on a flight chartered solely for the evacuation.
“They are now being assessed and monitored in isolation by infectious disease specialists at a London hospital.”
The incubation rate for the deadly disease ranges from two to 21 days, meaning the affected Briton will be required to isolate for three weeks and will be closely monitored during this period.
UKHSA director of epidemic and emerging infections Richard Pebody insisted that the “risk to the general public remains low”.
The Briton was recently evacuated from DR Congo ‘following a potential healthcare-related exposure to Ebola’
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“This individual has been transferred out of an abundance of caution, and we’re pleased they remain well,” he added.
This wave of Ebola – first confirmed by DR Congo and Uganda on May 15 – involves the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, which has no vaccine or specific treatment.
Experts believe the disease was circulating for months before it was officially declared by African health officials.
The outbreak has recorded more confirmed cases within its first month than any previous wave of the disease, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said last month.
Experts believe the disease was circulating for months before it was officially declared by African health officials
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The British national’s possible exposure comes as confirmed cases in DR Congo rose to 2,423, including 967 deaths, according to data from the African nation’s Government.
Last month, France confirmed its first case of Ebola after a doctor tested positive after returning from Africa.
The doctor who contracted the disease had recently returned from a humanitarian trip from DR Congo.
Just weeks prior, a US citizen was treated for Ebola in Germany and was later discharged after no virus was detected in them.
Confirmed cases in DR Congo have risen to 2,423, including 967 deaths
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Last week, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), a humanitarian medical NGO, warned that the deadly outbreak was spreading faster than health officials can manage.
MSF emergency programme manager Trish Newport cautioned: “Every delay costs lives.
“We are still chasing the outbreak instead of staying ahead of it.”
Ebola is spread through direct contact with the blood, bodily fluids or organs of infected people or animals – it is not transmitted through the air, water or food.
The average fatality rate is around 50 per cent, though this varies greatly between 25 to 90 per cent, due to the particular strain involved, as well as the speed and quality of the medical response.