Healthcare worker with potential exposure to Ebola transported to UK for precautionary monitoring

Public Health England (PHE) can confirm that, as a highly precautionary measure, a UK healthcare worker who has potentially been exposed to the Ebola virus while working in Sierra Leone is being transported to the UK for assessment and monitoring.

The individual has not been diagnosed with Ebola, does not currently have any symptoms, and their risk of developing the infection remains very low. On arrival in the UK, the healthcare worker will be initially assessed in hospital and then monitored for any symptoms for the remainder of their 21 day incubation period, in line with standard procedures for returning workers.

Professor Paul Cosford, PHE’s director for health protection and medical director, said: “We are confident that all appropriate public health actions have been, and will continue to be, taken to support this individual and to protect the public’s health. The overall risk to the general public from Ebola remains very low. It’s important to remember, in choosing to volunteer this individual took a courageous decision to help those affected in West Africa, and to prevent the spread of Ebola any wider.”