British Ebola patient arrives in UK for treatment at Royal Free
A British man confirmed to have contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo has returned to the UK and is being treated at the Royal Free Hospital in London.
How it was covered
- BBC One was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on the patient's evacuation, Royal Free treatment and low public risk.
- Channel 5, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News, ITV and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
- BBC News: covered online, not found on air.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
BBC ONE West reported that a British man confirmed to have contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo has arrived in the UK for treatment. The channel said he arrived on an evacuation flight at RAF Northolt on the afternoon of 5 November and was being taken to a specialist infectious disease unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London.
BBC ONE West's health editor Hugh Pym said the Royal Free Hospital in North London is regarded as the most advanced specialist unit for this kind of case, with a high-level isolation facility. He said staff are highly trained and the patient is likely to receive antiviral drugs with extensive infection control. Pym said the hospital successfully treated three healthcare workers evacuated from West Africa during the 2014-15 Ebola outbreak.
According to BBC ONE West, a government spokesperson said there are well-established procedures for cases like this. The spokesperson said the risk to the UK public is low. BBC ONE West reported earlier that the patient is a healthcare worker representing a humanitarian organisation, though that had not been confirmed.
BBC ONE West reported that since the outbreak in DRC began in May, there have been 10,000 cases and 5,000 deaths, a fatality rate of about 50%. It reported that no vaccine is yet available, although trials are under way. It also reported that 850 patients in DRC have been recruited for treatment trials.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| A British man has tested positive for Ebola in DR Congo and will be flown back to the UK. | |
| An evacuation flight brought an Ebola patient to RAF Northolt before transfer to the Royal Free Hospital. | |
| The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had recorded 10,000 cases and 5,000 deaths since May. | |
| The patient is reported to be a healthcare worker for a humanitarian organisation, but this has not been confirmed. | |
| The UK government said established procedures were in place and the risk to the UK public was low. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West treated the story as a health security and patient treatment update. Its late bulletin reported the planned evacuation, and its evening bulletin reported the arrival at RAF Northolt and transfer to the Royal Free. Health editor Hugh Pym supplied the clinical context and official reassurance that the risk to the public is low.
- “the Royal Free Hospital in North London is regarded as the most advanced specialist unit for this sort of case with a high-level isolation facility”
- “there are well-established procedures here which have been activated and the risk to the public is low”
- “since this outbreak in DRC began in May, there have been 10,000 cases and 5,000 deaths”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.