A healthcare worker from Britain has been confirmed to have contracted Ebola, on Sunday, as he was flown home in an aircraft.
The Ebola-stricken man, whose identity has not been revealed, is the first British citizen to have contracted the disease in West Africa. He was flown home on Royal Air Force cargo flight, which was specially adapted to shuttle a person carrying a deadly contageon.
The healthcare worker had been working with Ebola patients in Sierra Leone. Later, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond authorised him to be extradited out of the West African country, and into Britain.
The health department revealed to Reuters that other than the fact that he has tested positive for the Ebola virus, the patient does not seem to be doing that badly. He is to be transported to the Royal Free Hospital in London, after reaching the city, sources said. There, he is to be kept in an isolated unit.
The Ebola virus in West Africa, has been a big menace for the healthcare workers in the region. More than 225 health workers have contracted the disease, while around 130 of them have died, according to the World Health Organisation.
In total, the Ebola virus has ravaged the four West African countries of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. The Democratic Republic of Congo has also reported cases of the virus, according to reports.
The countries worst affected by the virus are Guinea (where it first struck in March), Liberia and Sierra Leone (where the virus has spread like wildfire, while governments tried to take drastic measures to control it). The total death toll of the Ebola virus, in West Africa is 1,427 according to latest reports.
