Ebola: British army medic tests positive for the disease
Female military healthcare worker contracted Ebola while working in Sierra Leone, MoD confirms
A British woman has become the first member of the army to contract Ebola while stationed in West Africa, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
The army medic, who was working in Sierra Leone, is expected to be flown back to the UK to receive specialist treatment at the Royal Free Hospital in London, Sky News reports.
"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," said the MoD.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The woman's next of kin have been notified, but her name has not been made public. A second military healthcare worker was also tested for the disease after displaying symptoms, but is believed to have been given the all-clear.
An investigation has now been launched into how she contracted the virus at the British-run Ebola clinic in Kerry Town, near Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown.
"Any individuals identified as having had close contact [with this person] will be assessed and a clinical decision made regarding bringing them to the UK," said Public Health England.
"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."
Up to 700 British military personnel are currently stationed in Sierra Leone, working alongside more than 1,000 NHS volunteers to combat the Ebola crisis.
The woman is the third Briton to test positive for the disease. Nurses William Pooley and Pauline Cafferkey were flown back to the UK for specialist treatment and have both made full recoveries.
Almost 10,000 people are known to have died from the disease and nearly 24,000 have been infected, the majority of them in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
"This case is unfortunately a sad reminder that there is an ongoing crisis here with Ebola," said Kate Dooley, from the Africa Governance Initiative.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - December 22, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - the long and short of it, trigger finger, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 hilariously spirited cartoons about the spirit of Christmas
Cartoons Artists take on excuses, pardons, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Inside the house of Assad
The Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
By The Week UK Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the sea
In the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
By The Week UK Published
-
The nuclear threat: is Vladimir Putin bluffing?
Talking Point Kremlin's newest ballistic missile has some worried for Nato nations
By The Week UK Published
-
Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikes
Speed Read Ukraine's forces have been using U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles to hit Russia
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published