New British Ebola case as military healthcare worker is flown back for monitoring

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The worker suffered a needle injury while treating patient in Sierra Leone
British military worker is at Royal Free Hospital in London for assessment
Individual likely to have been exposed to virus but has not been diagnosed with Ebola
The patient is not believed to be displaying and symptoms of the virus
Injury is likely to have happened in the last 48 hours near capital Freetown
Public Health England say person involved was flown back by RAF today

By Julian Robinson for MailOnline

Published: 05:19 EST, 31 January 2015 | Updated: 06:03 EST, 1 February 2015

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A British healthcare worker has been flown back to England for Ebola monitoring, it has emerged this morning.

The military worker was brought back to Britain after suffering a needle injury while treating a patient near Sierra Leone's capital Freetown.

Public Health England (PHE) said the medic has been admitted to the Royal Free Hospital in London for assessment after being injured in a 'front line care setting'.

It is thought the medic was working at the Kerry Town treatment centre, 40km from Freetown, and that the injury would have happened within the last 48 hours.

Public Health England (PHE) said the individual has been admitted to the Royal Free Hospital in London for assessment and next of kin have been informed

It is thought the medic would have been working at the Kerry Town treatment centre (pictured), 40km from Freetown

The individual is likely to have been exposed to the virus but has not been diagnosed with Ebola and does not have symptoms. Pictured is the High Secure Infectious Disease Unit at The Royal Free Hospital

This is the period when someone who has had a known exposure to Ebola would have had a window of opportunity to be safely transported to the UK as they are not yet contagious.

The individual is likely to have been exposed to the virus but has not been diagnosed with Ebola and does not have symptoms. Next of kin have been informed.

PHE said the individual had arrived back in the UK today on an RAF flight after being exposed to the virus in a 'frontline care setting'.

It is believed the military transport, bringing the patient back as a precautionary measure, arrived at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire in the early hours of this morning.

The Kerry Town complex includes an 80-bed treatment centre managed by Save the Children and a 12-bed centre staffed by British Army medics specifically for health care workers and international staff responding to the Ebola crisis.

The Kerry Town complex includes an 80-bed treatment centre managed by Save the Children

Part of the complex is staffed by British Army medics specifically for health care workers and international staff responding to the Ebola crisis

The Kerry Town treatment centre features a 12-bed centre staffed by British Army medics

The patient is being treated at London's Royal Free Hospital (RFH), where British nurses Pauline Cafferkey (left) and Will Pooley (right) were treated in a specialist isolation unit

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 eventuality and we are confident that all appropriate actions have been taken to support the healthcare worker concerned and to protect the health of other people.'

The patient is being treated at London's Royal Free Hospital (RFH), where British nurses Pauline Cafferkey and Will Pooley were treated in a specialist isolation unit. They were each diagnosed with the disease after helping treat patients in Africa.

A statement from the Royal Free Hospital said: 'We can confirm that a UK military healthcare worker has been admitted to the Royal Free Hospital today following a needlestick injury while treating a person with Ebola in Sierra Leone.

It is believed the military transport, bringing the patient back as a precautionary measure, arrived at RAF Brize Norton (pictured) in Oxfordshire in the early hours of this morning

'The individual has been admitted to the Royal Free Hospital for assessment. The individual is likely to have been exposed to the Ebola virus but has not been diagnosed with Ebola and does not have symptoms.'

The patient will be monitored for the remainder of their 21-day incubation period.

About 600 British military personnel are currently working in Sierra Leone, with Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Argus stationed in the area.

Part of the Kerry Town treatment centre is staffed by staffed by British Army medics (file picture)

Decisions on immediate and ongoing care will be made by the clinical team at the Royal Free Hospital.

Needle-stick injuries involve a piercing of the skin, typically by a needle point but also by other sharp instruments or objects.

They are a serious occupational hazard for doctors, healthcare workers and those working in law enforcement.

The injuries are of particular concern because of the risk of blood-borne diseases being transmitted.

Ms Cafferkey, 39, from Cambuslang, in South Lanarkshire, was discharged from the RFH this week after making a full recovery from Ebola.

Ms Cafferkey, who had volunteered with Save the Children at a treatment centre in Kerry Town, in Sierra Leone, was diagnosed with Ebola on December 29, after returning to Glasgow via London.

William Pooley, 29, who contracted Ebola while volunteering in West Africa, has returned to Sierra Leone to resume his work after recovering from the virus.

The nurse, from Eyke in Suffolk, was flown back to the UK by the RAF on August 24 and was taken to the RFH.

The worst outbreak of Ebola in history has seen Liberia and its neighbours Guinea and Sierra Leone register almost 9,000 deaths in a year.

To date, more than 21,700 cases of Ebola have been reported in nine countries.

The PHE announcement comes days after the World Health Organisation said the Ebola epidemic in West Africa appeared to be on the decline.

It said new weekly infections had dropped below 100 for the first time in over six months.