Pauline Cafferkey, 39, voluntarily went to Kerry Town, Sierra Leone last year to treat Ebola patients for the Save the Children International charity. She became the first Briton to be diagnosed with Ebola in December 2014.
Cafferkey, from Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, spent almost one month in isolation in December before being allowed to go home, and then it was only after her temperature had tested normal on numerous occasions.
According to the Express, a report from the Save The Children charity in February this year said Cafferkey probably became infected with the virus because she used a visor to protect her face instead of goggles.
The nurse was flown from Glasgow hospital to London’s Royal Free Hospital, where Britain’s only Ebola isolation ward is located, late Friday night. Cafferkey “is in a serious condition,” the hospital said.
“The Ebola virus can only be transmitted by direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person while they are symptomatic so the risk to the general public remains low.”
Professor Paul Cosford, medical director at the Public Health England agency said Cafferkey became ill on Tuesday last week and was admitted to a hospital in Glasgow. She was transferred to London “due to an unusual late complication of her previous illness,” he said.
“She was transported in a military aircraft under the supervision of experts. She will now be treated in isolation in line with nationally agreed guidelines,” Cosford added.
Meeting at Downing Street 10 days ago
Cafferkey was presented with the Pride of Britain medal 10 days ago for her humanitarian work and got to meet the Prime Minister’s wife, Samantha at Downing street along with other medal winners. On the day after her meeting at Downing Street, she appeared on ITV’s Lorraine Kelly show.
During the interview, Cafferkey said she had never fully recovered from her ordeal. She has contended with her hair falling out as well as problems with her thyroid. Doctor Ben Neuman, a lecturer in virology at the University of Reading said, “Over the past few years, there has been mounting evidence of the mental and physical problems in Ebola survivors that can last for years after the virus is cleared from the bloodstream.
Dr. Neuman added that Cafferty could be only one of two known cases of the Ebola virus re-activating. He explained further: “The newly-discovered twist on this post-Ebola syndrome is that, in some cases, the health problems — often including damage to the eyes and joints — is actually caused by live Ebola virus growing in bodily fluids in some of the less accessible compartments of the body.”
Dr Emilia Crighton, NHS Glasgow Clyde director of public health, said: “In line with normal procedures in cases such as this, we have identified a small number of close contacts of Pauline’s that we will be following up as a precaution.”
