The doctor is being cared for in an isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
uncertain
doctor → care → Health
Dr Renu Bindra, deputy director of the All Hazards Public Health Response team at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: “UKHSA and the NHS have well-established and robust infection prevention and control protocols to limit the risk of onward transmission, and the risk to the wider public remains low.”
asserted
risk → say → public
The medical doctor was brought to the UK on a medical evacuation flight, in a joint effort between the UK and DRC governments and their international health partners.
asserted
doctor → bring → governments
They were thought to be working on an Ebola outbreak in DRC, central Africa, which figures published on the UN website show has led to more than 5,100 deaths.
asserted
figures → think → deaths
Ebola has a high fatality rate, with past outbreaks causing death in 25%-90% of infected people.
asserted
outbreaks → have → people
People with the disease tend to fall ill two to 21 days after contact with an orthoebolavirus.
asserted
People → tend → orthoebolavirus
Early symptoms include fever, aches, pains and fatigue, but they can then progress to diarrhoea, vomiting and unexplained bleeding.
asserted
they → include → diarrhoea
There have only been four confirmed cases of the virus in the UK previously – one, in 1976, resulting from a laboratory needle incident, and three involving health workers who were responding to an outbreak in west Africa between 2014 and 2015.
asserted
who → confirm → 2014
The Royal Free Hospital has a high-level isolation unit run by a dedicated team of doctors, nurses and laboratory staff.
asserted
Hospital → have → doctors
The team has previously treated adult patients with Lassa fever, Ebola and Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever.
asserted
team → treat → fever
Access to the unit is restricted.
asserted
Access → restrict → unit
It includes a special tent with controlled ventilation that still allows care to be provided by NHS staff.
asserted
care → include → staff
All the air leaving the unit is cleaned so there is no risk to anyone inside or outside of the hospital.
asserted
air → leave → hospital
Professor Emma Thomson, director of the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, said: “The UK is extremely well prepared to care for patients with Ebola.
“
asserted
UK → say → Ebola
Although Bundibugyo virus, the cause of the current outbreak, can cause severe disease and is highly infectious through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, the Royal Free has state-of-the-art isolation facilities and highly experienced clinical teams.
asserted
Free → cause → facilities
“Strict protocols are in place to protect healthcare workers and prevent onward transmission.
asserted
protocols → protect → transmission
Dr Damien Tully, an expert in infectious disease from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “The infection of a British healthcare worker with Ebola is deeply concerning, but it is not entirely unexpected.
asserted
it → say → Ebola
“Healthcare workers are on the front line of these outbreaks, often treating severely-ill patients under extremely challenging conditions.
asserted
workers → treat → conditions
Even with rigorous protective measures, accidental exposures can occur.
asserted
exposures → occur → measures
“This case is a stark reminder of the risks faced by those responding to the outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in the DRC.
asserted
case → face → DRC
“However, it does not suggest that the virus has become more transmissible or that the threat to the UK has increased.
asserted
threat → suggest → UK
“Unlike respiratory viruses such as Covid-19 and influenza, that can spread through the air, Ebola is transmitted primarily through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, and people are not generally infectious until they develop symptoms.
asserted
they → spread → symptoms
“This means that identifying and isolating cases, together with appropriate infection prevention measures, can be highly effective in preventing onward transmission.
asserted
identifying → mean → transmission
“For the UK public, the risk from this planned medical evacuation is extremely low.”
asserted
risk → plan → evacuation
The Aporia
