UK national tests positive for Ebola virus in DR Congo

A British national who is in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for Ebola, the UK government has confirmed.

A spokesperson said the UK "has well-established procedures for dealing with cases like this" and that the risk to the public remains low.

It is the first confirmed case of a UK national contracting Ebola during the most recent outbreak of the rare but deadly virus in DR Congo, which has so far led to more than 5,000 deaths.

The Foreign Office did not confirm whether the patient would be brought back to the UK for treatment, though a British national who was exposed to the virus in July was flown back for medical attention, as have previous nationals infected abroad.

Reuters news agency reported the most recent patient is a healthcare worker and would be brought to the UK, citing an internal document BBC News has not seen.

A UK government spokesperson said: "The UK has well-established procedures for dealing with cases like this, and those processes have been activated.

"Further information will be shared in due course as appropriate. The risk to the UK public from Ebola remains low."

There have been more than 10,000 confirmed cases since the outbreak started in May.

It has since become the deadliest in the country's history, with a fatality rate of 48.6% reported at the end of last month.