Tri-Service

RAF Flies British Military Ebola Victim Back To UK

A female healthcare worker with the British military in Sierra Leone is being flown back to the UK after testing positive for Ebola.

The infected individual was assessed by a doctor from London's Royal Free Hospital before boarding a specially-equipped RAF C-17 aircraft.

The unidentified woman, whose family have been informed of her condition, had been working at the Kerry Town Ebola Crisis Centre. The facility, southwest of the capital Freetown, was built by the British Army last year.

A spokesperson for Public Health England said:

"An investigation into how the military worker was exposed to the virus is currently under way and tracing of individuals in recent contact with the diagnosed worker is being undertaken.

"Any individuals identified as having had close contact will be assessed and a clinical decision made regarding bringing them to the UK.

"The UK has robust, well-developed and well-tested systems for managing Ebola and the overall risk to the public in the UK continues to be very low."

The potentially deadly Ebola virus is not spread through ordinary social contact such as shaking hands. Only people who have come into contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person are at risk.