Potential Ebola patient monitored in London hospital after being evacuated from DR Congo
The UK resident was medically evacuated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
A humanitarian worker is being monitored at a specialist hospital in London after potential exposure to the Ebola virus.
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The UK resident was medically evacuated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where they had been treating patients with the disease, the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) said.
They have been evacuated as a “highly precautionary measure”, the UKHSA added.
Since May, the DRC has grappled with the fastest-growing epidemic of the disease in history.
“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,” the agency said in a statement.
“They are now being assessed and monitored in isolation by infectious disease specialists at a London hospital.
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“The incubation period of Ebola ranges from two to 21 days and the individual will be closely monitored and required to isolate throughout this period.”
There are no confirmed cases of Ebola in the UK and the risk to the general public remains low.
Richard Pebody, director of epidemic and emerging infections at the UKHSA, said: “This individual has been transferred out of an abundance of caution, and we’re pleased they remain well.”
It comes as the number of confirmed Ebola cases in the DRC increased to 2,423, including 967 deaths, according to government data.
The country's public health institute said in its latest report that 79 new cases were detected on Sunday in the eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu.
It comes after the head of Africa's top public health agency said he had written to US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asking him to lift Ebola-related travel restrictions on Uganda.
The country has reported no new infections in about a month.
"There is no reason for the U.S. to continue with this travel restriction," Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Jean Kaseya said on Tuesday.
Uganda's last Ebola patient was discharged on July 16, triggering a 42-day countdown after which it can be declared free of the virus, according to World Health Organisation guidelines.
The US has restricted entry for all travellers who were recently in Congo and some travellers who recently visited Uganda or South Sudan.
It imposed entry restrictions in May before tightening them last week.