The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an urgent public health reminder for healthcare providers following the current Ebola disease outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
What healthcare providers need to know
- Healthcare providers are being asked to make sure relevant teams are aware of the latest guidance. This includes infection prevention and control, urgent care, emergency departments, acute medicine, obstetrics, paediatrics, primary care, microbiology, virology and infectious disease teams.
- Clinicians should consider Ebola disease in any acutely unwell patient with a history of fever who has left the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Uganda in the previous 21 days.
- Common alternative diagnoses, including malaria, should still be investigated urgently and in parallel.
- Clinical services should have clear pathways in place for assessing and managing suspected cases.
- Staff should know how to access local infection specialist advice and the Imported Fever Service for viral haemorrhagic fever testing advice.
Assessing possible cases
- Patients who become unwell within 21 days of leaving the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Uganda should be assessed using the national viral haemorrhagic fever risk assessment algorithm and associated guidance.
- If Ebola disease is suspected, the patient should be moved immediately to an empty room. Contact with staff should be restricted and relatives and visitors should not enter the room.
- Staff should use personal protective equipment and safe systems of work that are appropriate to the risk assessment and setting
- Suspected cases should be discussed urgently with a local infection specialist, such as microbiology, virology or infectious diseases.
- Ebola disease and other viral haemorrhagic fevers are notifiable diseases and suspected cases must be reported immediately by telephone to the local UKHSA health protection team if testing is recommended.
Background
- The current outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus, a type of Ebola disease.
- The World Health Organization designated the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 17 May 2026.
- UKHSA currently assesses the risk to the UK public as low. Imported Ebola disease cases are extremely rare in the UK.
- Ebola disease is spread through direct contact with the blood, secretions or other body fluids of an infected person, or through contact with contaminated environments or materials. There is no evidence of natural airborne transmission.
- Symptoms can appear between 2 and 21 days after exposure and may include fever, feeling generally unwell, muscle pain, headache, rash, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Bleeding can occur later in a minority of cases but should not be used as the only reason to suspect Ebola disease.
Guidance for primary care, community and adult social care settings
If Ebola disease is considered in primary care or another non-acute setting, the patient should be isolated immediately in a room away from others. Contacts should be minimised, urgent local infection specialist advice should be sought, and specialist transfer should be arranged if Ebola disease remains possible. Adult social care providers should follow the principles for managing suspected high consequence infectious disease cases in adult social care.
Further information
- ACDP guidance on risk assessment and immediate management of viral haemorrhagic fevers
- ACDP viral haemorrhagic fever risk assessment algorithm
- NHS England National Infection Prevention and Control Manual addendum on high consequence infectious disease PPE
- UKHSA Ebola clinical management and guidance resources
- UKHSA Ebola and Marburg outbreak and case location updates
- Imported Fever Service guidance
Teams should review the guidance and make sure local pathways, infection prevention and control arrangements, and access to specialist advice are up to date.
