3rd UK Healthcare worker treated for Ebola in Sierra Leone

                                     
A British military healthcare worker working in Sierra Leone is in an isolation unit in a London hospital being tested for the Ebola virus. The individual, reportedly a woman, was flown back to Britain on a RAF plane after receiving a needle-stick injury while treating an Ebola patient.
Public Health England (PHE) confirmed that the individual had been admitted to the Royal Free hospital in London for assessment. “They are likely to have been exposed to the Ebola virus but, at this time, have not been diagnosed with Ebola and do not have symptoms,” it said. “The individual’s next of kin has been informed.”

The hospital treated British nurses Pauline Cafferkey and Will Pooley, who were both diagnosed with the disease. Professor Paul Cosford, PHE’s director for health protection and medical director, said: “Our thoughts are with this person, who has been courageous in helping those affected in west Africa, and in preventing the wider spread of Ebola. We have strict, well-tested protocols in place for this eventualityand are confident that all appropriate actions have been taken to support the healthcare worker and to protect the health of other people.”

The World Health Organisation says there are signs of a slowdown in the number of cases being reported in Sierra Leone. In the week to 25 January there were 30 new cases in Guinea, four in Liberia and 65 in Sierra Leone.

 The clinic, which opened in early November, includes an 80-bed treatment centre managed by Save the Children and a 12-bed centre staffed by British Army medics. At least eight doctors working at the centre have died in the Ebola outbreak.