UK Ebola case confirmed but risk remains low

A case of Ebola has now been confirmed in the UK but the risk of Ebola to the general public remains very low. Ebola can only be transmitted by direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person. The UK case - in a healthcare worker in Scotland who arrived in Glasgow from Sierra Leone on Sunday - has been confirmed by the Scottish government. The patient was placed  in isolation at Glasgow's Gartnavel Hospital and will be transferred for specialised care at the Royal Free Hospital in London. The healthcare worker left Sierra Leone on December 28 and was a passenger on flight AT596 from Freetown to Casablanca and flight AT0800 from Casablanca to London. They then transferred at Heathrow to flight BA1478 to Glasgow.    The risk of infection to other passengers on the flights is considered extremely low. However, as a precaution, Public Health England is arranging for all passengers and crew on the flight from Casablanca to Heathrow to be provided with health information and will be contacting and following up those passengers who were sitting in the vicinity of the affected passenger on these flights. Health Protection Scotland is carrying out a similar exercise for the passengers on the Heathrow to Glasgow flight. The UK has well-established and practised infection control procedures for dealing with cases of imported infectious disease and these will be strictly followed to minimise the risk of transmission. Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Med...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: QA articles Source Type: news