British doctor with Ebola evacuated to London for treatment

A British doctor who tested positive for Ebola while working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been evacuated to the United Kingdom and is receiving specialist care at a London hospital, the UK government said Thursday, November 5. The unnamed patient is being treated in a high-level isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital. The government said the medical evacuation was carried out jointly with the DRC government and international health partners, following infection-prevention and control procedures. The patient’s identity has not been disclosed. Renu Bindra, deputy director for All Hazards Public Health Response at the UK Health Security Agency, said established protocols used by the agency and the National Health Service were in place to limit onward transmission. She said the risk to the wider public remained low. The hospital’s specialist unit is designed to care for patients with serious infectious diseases while restricting contact with the public. Government information says staff treating the doctor are following infection-control measures. The Royal Free has previously treated adult patients with Ebola, Lassa fever and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever....