I wish to update the House on a British citizen who is receiving treatment for Ebola at the Royal Free Hospital in London. The thoughts of the whole Government are with the patient, their family and colleagues at this difficult time.

The patient is a British national and medical doctor who was working at an Ebola treatment centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) when they contracted the disease. The individual’s employer arranged for their medical evacuation in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the Department of Health and Social Care and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office supported international and commercial partners to effect their safe transfer to the UK. The journey followed established infection prevention and control procedures, which also apply to everyone involved in the individual’s care.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), NHS England, the Royal Free Hospital, the London Ambulance Service, other emergency services and local resilience partners worked together to ensure the patient's onward journey to hospital, ensuring that this was undertaken in accordance with specialist High Consequence Infectious Disease (HCID) infection prevention and control procedures.

The UK has robust and well-rehearsed systems for managing patients with diseases such as Ebola. These include dedicated treatment facilities and specialist clinical expertise through the HCID network. The patient was returned safely to the UK on 5 November, and is receiving expert care at the Royal Free Hospital, where strict infection prevention and control measures remain in place.

The UKHSA judge that the risk to the general public remains low. Ebola is not spread through the air in the way that flu or COVID-19 can be. An infected person can only transmit the virus once symptoms have developed, and transmission requires direct contact with the bodily fluids of a symptomatic infected person, or with contaminated materials. The UK also has established surveillance and public health systems to identify and manage suspected cases, including specialist assessment, testing and contact tracing where required.

The ongoing outbreak in the DRC and surrounding areas is very serious. The government continues to monitor the situation closely and take appropriate steps to protect public health. The UK has advised against all travel to certain parts of the DRC. To safeguard those supporting healthcare and humanitarian efforts, UKHSA is operating the Returning Workers Scheme to support and monitor people returning to the UK from affected areas. Information boards are in place at relevant UK ports of entry, providing information about the current outbreak and advising people who have returned from an affected area and feel unwell on how to seek help.

Internationally, the UK is using finance, technical expertise and diplomatic engagement to support locally led efforts and strengthen health systems. The UK has allocated £78.7 million to support the country-led Ebola response in DRC, to strengthen disease surveillance, support frontline health workers, improve infection prevention and control, expand access to treatment, strengthen community engagement and support safe burials. The UK is working in partnership with the WHO, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and humanitarian organisations to support the country-led Ebola response.

The UK is also supporting regional preparedness initiatives in countries including South Sudan, Zambia and Burundi, helping to build more resilient health systems and strengthen health security across the region. We are working with the WHO and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to accelerate the development of vaccines, treatments and diagnostics to support the response to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone involved, including our partners in the DRC, who helped bring the patient home safely, and to the NHS staff who are now providing their care.