UK Military Health Worker Contracts Ebola

A member of British military personnel has tested positive for Ebola in Sierra Leone.

The unidentified woman - who was working at the Kerry Town facility southwest of the capital Freetown - is due to be flown home by the RAF after being assessed, Sky News understands.

Her next of kin have been informed about her illness.

A Public Health England spokesperson said: "An investigation into how the military worker was exposed to the virus is currently under way and tracing of individuals in recent contact with the diagnosed worker is being undertaken.

"Any individuals identified as having had close contact 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."

A second member of the British military has also had an Ebola test but their first test is believed to have come back negative.

Several other Britons suspected of having the virus may be flown home with the confirmed Ebola case, according to Sky sources.

The Kerry Town Ebola Crisis Centre was built by the British Army with Government funding. It opened in November last year.

The 80-bed hospital is managed by Save the Children. It has several beds reserved for health workers who fall ill with the potentially deadly virus.

British nurses Pauline Cafferkey and Will Pooley both survived the disease after being treated in the UK. They contracted the highly-contagious disease while treating sufferers in Sierra Leone.

The outbreak has killed more than 9,500 people in West Africa.