Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 22
UK Monitors Humanitarian Worker for Ebola After DRC Exposure, With 0 Confirmed Domestic Cases
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 22

UK Monitors Humanitarian Worker for Ebola After DRC Exposure, With 0 Confirmed Domestic Cases

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 22

Summary

  • A UK resident evacuated from the Democratic Republic of Congo is being isolated and monitored at a London hospital after a potential healthcare-related Ebola exposure, though UKHSA said the person has no symptoms.
  • UKHSA said the transfer was purely precautionary and that the risk to the public remains low; Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids rather than through the air.
  • The worker will isolate for Ebola's 2-to-21-day incubation period, and the agency said there are currently 0 confirmed Ebola cases in the UK.
  • The precaution comes as Congo has recorded 2,423 confirmed Ebola cases and 967 deaths since mid-May, in an outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo species, which has no approved vaccine.

Insights

With no approved vaccine for this Ebola strain, is the world prepared for the next outbreak?
An aid worker was evacuated from Ebola's front line. How do we protect those sent to protect us?