Ebola crisis as UK soldier with virus is quarantined in London hospital

 
Aid effort: British military personnel help train local health workers in Freetown, Sierra Leone

The UK was today facing a crisis in its Ebola aid effort in west Africa after a soldier with the virus was flown to London for treatment, along with two colleagues involved in her care.

The female soldier, believed to be an Army Reserve volunteer, was being taken from the specially equipped RAF plane to The Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead.

The other two military workers have not been diagnosed with Ebola but are also being admitted to The Royal Free’s isolation unit as a precaution, and can expect to be quarantined for 21 days.

A further two military staff are being assessed in Sierra Leone, and plans are being drawn up to evacuate them to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle if their condition deteriorates. Neither has been diagnosed with Ebola. The woman is understood to have contracted the virus via a needle injury from a syringe. The incident is thought to have occurred at the Ministry of Defence’s Ebola hospital in Kerry Town, where NHS nurse Pauline Cafferkey was infected last year in the section run by Save the Children.

Public Health England said “rapid tracing” was being undertaken in Sierra Leone to identify anyone who had been in recent close contact with the soldier who has Ebola. She is the third Briton to have been diagnosed with the virus, after Ms Cafferkey and nurse William Pooley, who both recovered.

Armed forces minister Mark Francois said: “The wellbeing of our personnel remains our priority. This includes the individual directly affected and their colleagues, for whom precautionary measures are being taken.” Around 700 British troops and a medical ship were deployed to Sierra Leone in October to help the country battle the disease.

Dr Jenny Harries, Ebola incident lead at Public Health England, said: “There is no risk to the general public and the risk to the UK continues to be very low. Our thoughts are with the healthcare workers and their families.”

Professor Dame Sally Davies, Britain’s Chief Medical Officer, added: “The UK has robust, well developed and well tested systems for managing Ebola. All appropriate infection control procedures will be strictly followed to minimise any risk of transmission.”

The Royal Free said: “We are working with Public Health England to provide clinical assessment of a military healthcare worker who has tested positive for the Ebola virus.”

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