A UK medical doctor who tested positive for Ebola while working on the epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been flown home for specialist treatment, the Department of Health and Social Care said on Thursday.
The government worked with the DRC government and international health partners to bring the patient home on a medical evacuation flight. The journey followed established infection prevention and control procedures, which also apply to everyone involved in the patient’s care.
The patient is being cared for in a high-level isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital, London. The department described the unit as highly specialised and staffed by expert clinical teams.
Strict isolation protocols are in place to prevent the patient coming into contact with any members of the public, and all staff treating the patient have the necessary personal protective equipment alongside other measures to prevent transmission.
Dr Renu Bindra, Deputy Director All Hazards Public Health Response at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said the agency and the NHS have “well-established and robust infection prevention and control protocols” and that “the risk to the wider public remains low”.
In its own published account of the case, UKHSA said the evacuation of a British worker with a high consequence infectious disease is part of the UK’s duty of care to those serving in challenging and high-risk environments overseas.
It said the approach gives the individual access to specialist care within the UK health system, while being closer to family and other support networks during treatment and recovery.
UKHSA said the precautions taken mean the evacuation will not increase the risk to the UK public, and that people do not need to take extra precautions.
It described transmission during the transfer as extremely unlikely, because the patient was transported by specialists wearing full personal protective equipment.
Symptoms can appear 2 to 21 days after contact
Ebola does not spread through the air. It is passed on through direct contact with the bodily fluids of a person who has symptoms, such as vomit, diarrhoea or blood.
Symptoms can appear between 2 and 21 days after contact with the infection, and on average after 8 to 10 days. Illness usually starts suddenly with fever, headache, tiredness, muscle pain and a sore throat, with nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting often following.
Anyone who has visited the DRC or other affected surrounding areas in the last 21 days and becomes unwell should stay at home and call NHS 111, or 999 in an emergency, and say they have travelled to the affected area.
UKHSA said they should not go to a GP surgery or hospital without calling first.
It noted that other illnesses, such as malaria, cause similar symptoms and are much more common in returning travellers.
Organisations sending workers to affected areas should register them with the UKHSA Returning Workers Scheme, which has been activated to protect and monitor their health.
Outbreak background since 17 May
The current outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus, a type of Ebola disease. The World Health Organization designated it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 17 May 2026, according to a UKHSA reminder to healthcare providers that Somerset County Council republished.
The reminder says the outbreak affects the DRC and Uganda.
UKHSA assesses the risk to the UK public as low and says imported Ebola cases are extremely rare in the UK. There are no licensed vaccines or treatments for most species of Ebola virus, including Bundibugyo, although they exist for a different species.
The patient will receive the best available supportive care.
Clinicians have been asked to consider Ebola in any acutely unwell patient with a history of fever who left the DRC or Uganda in the previous 21 days, while investigating alternatives such as malaria in parallel.
Suspected cases must be reported immediately by telephone to the local UKHSA health protection team if testing is recommended.
UKHSA said it is closely monitoring the situation and will provide updates if anything changes.