A British healthcare worker who tested positive for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo is being flown back to the United Kingdom for specialist treatment, the UK government has confirmed. The patient is reported to be in a stable condition, and is expected to arrive in Britain on Wednesday or Thursday, 4 or 5 November.

The worker, whose identity has not been made public, was sent to DR Congo by a humanitarian organisation to support the response to the outbreak. On arrival, the patient is to be transferred by specialist ambulance to a high-consequence infectious disease unit. The Royal Free Hospital in London and the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle are the two hospitals equipped for such cases, although the treating hospital has not been confirmed.

Risk to the UK public remains low

A government spokesperson said: "A British citizen currently in the DRC has tested positive for Ebola. The UK has well-established procedures for dealing with cases like this, and those processes have been activated. The risk to the UK public from Ebola remains low." The case is the first involving a British national linked to the current outbreak.

DR Congo's health ministry declared the outbreak on 15 May, caused by the Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus. Reuters reported more than 10,000 confirmed cases and nearly 5,000 deaths by late October, making it the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record. Only four Ebola cases have ever been confirmed in the UK.

Sources: Reuters, British healthcare worker with Ebola to be evacuated from Congo to UK, document shows, 4 November 2026; PA wire via Newsquest, British man infected with Ebola to be flown to UK for treatment, 5 November 2026.