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British Health Worker Tests Positive for Ebola in DR Congo
· Confirmed
In Short: A British healthcare worker in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for Ebola and will be flown back to the UK for treatment.
A British healthcare worker in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for Ebola and will be flown back to the UK for treatment, the Government has confirmed.
The patient, identified as a healthcare worker by Reuters, is expected to be evacuated to the UK by medical flight, though the timing of the evacuation remains unclear.
This is the first confirmed case of a UK national contracting Ebola during the current outbreak in DR Congo, which has led to more than 5,000 deaths since May 2026.
The patient will be treated at the Royal Free Hospital in north London, where three health workers were successfully treated after the Ebola outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2015.
The risk to the UK public from Ebola remains low, according to government officials.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved clinical trials for two new Ebola vaccines, but results are not expected until early 2027.
Public health agencies have struggled to contain the Bundibugyo virus due to the lack of a vaccine or treatments designed specifically for the strain.
The patient tested positive on Wednesday, and the government spokesperson said there were no disruptions to international travel or trade expected.
What this adds
The patient's evacuation and treatment highlight the ongoing challenges in managing the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo, despite the efforts of healthcare workers and public health agencies.
What's confirmed
- DR Congo has been facing the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country's history A British man who has tested positive for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo will be flown back to the UK.
- "Further information will be shared in due course as appropriate. The risk to the UK public from Ebola remains low."
- A British man in the Democratic Republic of Congo will be brought back to the UK for treatment after testing positive for Ebola, the Government has said.
- The patient, identified as a healthcare worker by the news agency Reuters, is expected to be flown back to Britain by medical evacuation, though it is not clear when the flight will take place.
- Dr Damien Tully, associate professor at the Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit, said news of the British man’s infection was “deeply concerning, but it is not entirely unexpected”.
- Some 5,000 people have died in the ongoing outbreak of the rare but deadly disease in DR Congo, West Africa.
- The patient, who is thought to be a healthcare worker, is said to be in a stable condition A British citizen working in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for Ebola, the Government has confirmed.
- "A British citizen currently in the DRC has tested positive for Ebola," the Foreign Office spokesperson said.
- The patient, identified by Reuters as a healthcare worker, is expected to be medically evacuated to the UK, though the timing of the flight remains unclear.
What's still developing
- The document quoted British authorities saying they did not expect the case to have a serious public health impact in Britain, and anticipated no disruption to international travel or trade.
- Switzerland last month evacuated an Ebola patient from Nigeria for treatment, while France in June reported its first confirmed case tied to the outbreak in a doctor returning from a humanitarian mission in Congo.
- The rare and deadly virus has emerged again in Uganda and Congo (Picture: Getty) Ebola is an illness caused by a group of related viruses, known as orthoebolaviruses.
- A person infected with Ebola cannot spread it until they develop symptoms.
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- Reuters news agency reported the infected man is a healthcare worker, citing an internal document BBC News has not seen.
- What is Ebola and why is stopping the latest outbreak so difficult?
- Imported Ebola cases are extremely rare in the UK and have resulted in no deaths.
- It is the first case involving a British national linked to the current outbreak, although several other people from elsewhere in Europe have been infected.
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