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Ebola: RAF sends plane to help UK military worker Ebola: British patient has been evacuated from Sierra Leone
(35 minutes later)
A British military healthcare worker who tested positive for Ebola is being flown to the UK for treatment, the Ministry of Defence says. A British military healthcare worker who tested positive for Ebola is being flown to the UK for treatment.
Two of her colleagues are also being flown back as a precaution in case the infection has been passed on. They have not been diagnosed with Ebola. Two of her colleagues are also being flown back as a precaution in case the infection has been passed on through close contact. They have not been diagnosed with Ebola.
A further two are being assessed in Sierra Leone and may be flown back in the future. A further two colleagues are being assessed in Sierra Leone, and may be flown back in the future.
Public Health England said there was no threat to the general public.Public Health England said there was no threat to the general public.
An MoD spokeswoman said: "Despite there being stringent procedures and controls in place to safeguard UK service personnel, there is always a level of risk in deployments on operations of this type." Between 600 and 700 UK defence personnel are based in Sierra Leone as part of efforts to tackle the largest ever outbreak of Ebola.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said there were stringent procedures in place, but there was "always a level of risk".
Mark Francois, the minister for the Armed Forces, praised the "courage and dedication" of those working in Sierra Leone.
He added: "The wellbeing of our service personnel remains our overriding priority.
"This includes the individual directly affected and their four colleagues, for whom precautionary measures are now being taken.
"We are very proud of what our servicemen and women are doing and our thoughts are with their five colleagues and their families at this time."
'Close contact''Close contact'
Between 600 and 700 UK defence personnel are currently helping tackle the virus outbreak in Sierra Leone. The British patient is currently at the Kerry Town treatment unit near the capital, Freetown. Contact tracing identified the four cases of "recent close contact" with the diagnosed woman, Public Health England said.
A spokesman for Public Health England said: "An investigation in to 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. The three being flown to the UK today will be taken to the special isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London.
"Any individuals identified as having had close contact will be assessed and a clinical decision made regarding bringing them to the UK." It is where two British nurses infected with Ebola - William Pooley and Pauline Cafferkey - were successfully treated.
He added: "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 two who are still being assessed could be flown to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.
British nurses Will Pooley and Pauline Cafferkey have both recovered from Ebola after being infected in West Africa last year. Prof Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer, said: "The UK has robust, well-developed and well-tested systems for managing Ebola virus disease.
The current Ebola outbreak was first reported in March last year and has killed almost 10,000 people, mostly in the West African countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. "All appropriate infection control procedures have, and will continue to be, strictly followed to minimise any risk of transmission."
Dr Jenny Harries, from Public Health England, added: "There is no risk to the general public's health and the overall risk to the UK continues to be very low."
There have been more than 24,000 cases of Ebola since the outbreak started more than a year ago. Nearly 10,000 people have died.