Major Ebola update as infected Brit returns to UK

A British doctor has been flown back from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the Royal Free Hospital in London after testing positive for Ebola. UK authorities say established response procedures are in place and the risk to the public remains extremely low.

The case is the first involving a British national infected with Bundibugyo virus, linked to the ongoing outbreak centred on the DRC. The Royal Free is one of two UK hospitals equipped to treat Ebola, with a restricted high-level isolation unit; the other is the Royal Victoria in Newcastle. Ebola spreads mainly through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, and people are generally not infectious until symptoms develop.