British man infected with Ebola in DR Congo to be flown back to UK

A British individual diagnosed with Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo is set to be transported back to the United Kingdom. This marks the first time a UK national has contracted the virus during the current Ebola outbreak in DR Congo, which has resulted in over 5,000 fatalities so far. Details about the timing of the repatriation flight have not yet been disclosed.

According to a statement from a UK government representative, established protocols for managing such cases are in place, and the overall risk to the general public remains minimal. Reuters cited an internal document—unseen by BBC News—that identifies the infected person as a healthcare professional. Historically, Ebola cases imported into the UK are exceedingly rare, and no fatalities have been recorded from these incidents.

The UK has encountered only four confirmed Ebola cases to date. One occurred in 1976 due to a laboratory accident, while the other three involved healthcare workers exposed during the West African Ebola epidemic between 2014 and 2015. The government reiterated: “The UK has well-established procedures for dealing with cases like this, and those processes have been activated.” They also emphasized that further updates would be provided when suitable, reaffirming that the risk to the public remains low.

Since the most recent outbreak began in May, DR Congo has reported over 10,000 confirmed Ebola infections, making it the second deadliest epidemic on record after the West African outbreak. This current outbreak has become the most lethal in DR Congo’s history, with a fatality rate of 48.6% as recorded at the end of the previous month