OMM Newsroom
A British health care worker infected with Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been medically evacuated to the UK for specialised care, an official with the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday, Anadolu Agency reported.
The patient was deployed in Congo by a humanitarian organisation to support the response to an outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus.
WHO Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Janabi said on “X” that Congolese authorities and the UK had shown “exemplary cooperation” in arranging the patient’s safe medical evacuation.
Janabi praised health workers in Congo, saying their professionalism, dedication and compassionate care had supported the patient before the transfer.
“While the patient continues to receive treatment in the UK, DRC health authorities remain fully vigilant. Contact tracing, surveillance and other public health measures are ongoing to monitor and contain any potential risk of further transmission,” Janabi said.
He added that the WHO remained committed to supporting national authorities in protecting public health, strengthening outbreak response efforts and preventing the spread of disease.
The evacuation follows Switzerland’s evacuation of an Ebola patient from Nigeria for treatment last month. France reported its first imported case in June, involving a doctor who returned from a humanitarian mission in Congo.
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in Congo has exceeded 10,000, with more than 5,000 deaths since the outbreak began in May, according to government data.
