It’s believed the woman, who was working to help tackle the crisis in Sierra Leone, is being treated in a treatment unit in the West African country. Her next of kin have been informed.
Earlier this evening Public Health England (PHE) said: “A clinical decision on whether the individual will be medically evacuated to the UK for treatment will be taken in due course,” but Sky News report that a plane is being chartered from Heathrow to bring the woman back for treatment in the UK.
We will keep you updated on this as we find out more.
PHE also said the risk to UK was low., with a spokesperson added: “Any individuals identified as having had close contact [with this person] will be assessed and a clinical decision made regarding bringing them to the UK.
“The UK has robust, well-developed and well-tested systems for managing Ebola and the overall risk to the public in the UK continues to be very low.”
The news comes after it emerged that doctors in Cardiff, in Wales, who were testing a patient for the virus, confirmed the results had come back negative.
The female healthcare worker is the third British citizen to have tested positive for the viral illness. Nurses Pauline Cafferkey and Will Pooley both made full recoveries after contracting the virus.
The current outbreak in West Africa has claimed the lives of 10,000 people.