A Briton who contracted the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone is being flown back to the UK on an RAF jet, the UK Department for Health has said.
The patient, who is a healthcare worker, is to be flown to RAF Northolt and will then be transported to an isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in north London.
The Briton is "not currently seriously unwell", a spokesman said.
Health chiefs say the risk to the UK from the virus remains "very low".
The Department of Health (DoH) said the patient was being "medically evacuated" in a specially equipped C17 RAF aircraft following "clinical advice".
It is the first confirmed case of a Briton contracting the virus, for which there is no cure, during the latest outbreak.
The deadly virus is spread between humans through direct contact with infected bloodily fluids.
So far 1,427 people in West Africa have died - more than in any other Ebola outbreak.
A statement from Sierra Leone's health ministry said the Briton had been volunteering at a clinic in the Kenema district of Sierra Leone.
Sidie Yayah Tunis, director of communications at the health ministry, said the patient had been flown out of the country's main airport in the town of Lungi on Sunday.
'Best care possible'Dr Paul Cosford, director for health protection at Public Health England, said the Briton was being transferred with "all appropriate protocols promptly activated" by UK health agencies.
"Protective measures will be strictly maintained to minimise the risk of transmission to staff transporting the patient to the UK and healthcare workers treating the individual."
He added: "UK hospitals have a proven record of dealing with imported infectious diseases and this patient will be isolated and will receive the best care possible."
Prof John Watson, deputy chief medical officer for the DoH, said the UK had "robust, well-developed and well-tested NHS systems for managing unusual infectious diseases".
"It is important to be reassured that although a case of Ebola in a British national healthcare worker residing in Sierra Leone has been identified and is being brought back to the UK the overall risk to the public in the UK remains very low," he said.
'Slap in the face'BBC correspondent Will Ross said health workers in West Africa have had to decide whether it is safe to fly the patient back to the UK.
"The experts are saying it is a low-risk move but for the patient it could well be a life-saving move because the clinics in Sierra Leone are so over-stretched," he said.
Our correspondent said the move away from Sierra Leone would "improve the patient's chances" of recovery.
However, for people living in west Africa it was "another slap in the face", he said, because people could see "how much better" health care is in countries like the UK and the US.
It comes after two Americans recovered from Ebola and were last week discharged from hospital having been flown to the US and given an experimental drug.
Dr Kent Brantly, 33, and Nancy Writebol, 59, were flown from Liberia, in West Africa, to Atlanta, in the US, where they received an experimental treatment known as ZMapp.
Officials in Liberia have also said three medical staff have shown signs of improvement after taking the drug.
Health workers say the body has a greater chance of fighting off the virus if the patient seeks help fast and the symptoms are treated.
Have you or someone you know been affected by the current Ebola outbreak? You can email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using 'Ebola' in the subject heading.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
British Ebola patient to fly to UK
Dengan url
http://beritaasalusil.blogspot.com/2014/08/british-ebola-patient-to-fly-to-uk.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
British Ebola patient to fly to UK
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
British Ebola patient to fly to UK
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar