A British citizen working in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for the deadly Ebola virus.
The unidentified healthcare worker will be flown back to the UK for treatment in a medical evacuation.
A Foreign Office spokesperson confirmed the result before adding that the risk to the British public remains low.
The victim is said to be stable and will be transferred to an infectious disease unit – either in London or Newcastle on Thursday.
The spokesperson added: ‘A British citizen currently in the DRC has tested positive for Ebola.
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‘The risk to the UK public from Ebola remains low.’
Only four confirmed cases have been recorded in Britain since 1976, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
What is Ebola?
Ebola is an illness caused by a group of related viruses, known as orthoebolaviruses.
It spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids, such as blood or saliva, of someone infected.
A person infected with Ebola cannot spread it until they develop symptoms.
Bodily fluids from the body of someone who has died of Ebola can also be highly contagious, with the virus spreading during funerals.
Infections come in two stages – a dry stage and a wet stage.
Dry symptoms, which include fever, aches, pains and fatigue, can progress to ‘wet’ ones such as diarrhoea, vomiting and bleeding.
As the first round of symptoms, which show within 21 days, resemble the common cold or flu, many Ebola cases go undiagnosed.
Some patients can suffer bleeding from the gums and nose, while the virus gnawing at the nervous system can make them irritable and confused.
Last month FCDO Minister for Africa, Kirsty McNeill, announced more than £50 million to support efforts to contain the disease.
This comes as the largest Ebola outbreak in the DRC’s history continues to spread, on course to become the deadliest and most extensive Ebola epidemic ever recorded.
This spread is against a backdrop of conflict, displacement and severe humanitarian need, compounding the risk of catastrophe on an unprecedented scale, increasing the urgency of international action.
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