British nurse who contracted Ebola is back in London isolation unit with the virus.
A
British nurse who contracted Ebola is back in hospital today after
falling ill with the deadly virus again - just ten days after she met
Samantha Cameron in Downing Street.
Pauline
Cafferkey, 39, was flown from Glasgow back to the Royal Free Hospital
in north London by the RAF last night, ten months after she recovered
from the illness.
The NHS nurse is now back in the isolation unit she spent a month after being diagnosed with Ebola last December.
She
is said to have developed an 'unusual complication' as a result of the
original Ebola infection and tests have revealed that the virus still
remains in her system.
Back in
hospital: Pauline Cafferkey, 39, (left last week) has been flown from
Glasgow back to the Royal Free Hospital in north London, where she spent
a month in isolation last December (pictured after her recovery)
Critical: The nurse, who had been
volunteering in Africa, had been in a deteriorating condition but
survived thanks to a mix of anti-virals and blood plasma from a survivor
Ten
days ago she was given a Pride of Britain for her humanitarian work and
also met the Prime Minister's wife Samantha Cameron the following day at
Downing Street, alongside other winners.
But had complained about never fully recovering from Ebola after leaving hospital in January.
She said that her ordeal meant that her hair was falling out and she had problems with her thyroid.
According to MailOnline the nurse had taken herself to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow on Tuesday after feeling unwell.
It
appears that officials then found traces of the virus remained in her
body and she was then flown by the RAF from Glasgow to London overnight.
Government
sources have said that Miss Cafferkey - who left the Royal
Free in January - poses a low risk to the public.
'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.
'The Scottish health authorities will be following up on a small number of close contacts of Pauline's as a precaution.
'It
is important to remember that the ebola virus can only be transmitted
by direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person
while they are symptomatic.
'The
risk to the general public remains low and the NHS has well established
and practised infection control procedures in place.'
Special care: This is the High Level Isolation Unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London where Pauline Cafferkey is being held
The NHS nurse had been a volunteer with Save the Children at the Ebola Treatment Centre in Kerry Town Sierra Leone last year.
But
she then fell ill when she returned to the UK just after Christmas,
sparking panic because she had been on flights with hundreds of people.
After
becoming gravely ill she survived after being given an anti-viral drug
and is being transfused with blood plasma from a European Ebola
survivor.
Last week she was on television talking about her illness after picking up a Pride of Britain award.
She told ITV's Lorraine she would go back to Sierra Leone again to treat patients.
Explaining
how she felt when she realised she had Ebola: 'Outwardly I just tried
to be stoical about everything but inside obviously, I was very
frightened.
'I
knew it could have gone three ways - it could have been mild, it could
have been severe which it was with me and it could have been death the
other outcome which I came very close to.'
Emergency: Pauline landed at a nearby RAF base and then was taken to the Royal Free in London for special care this morning
Miss Cafferkey's case sparked a review of Britain's Ebola screening systems.
She spent five weeks treating victims in Sierra Leone and then flew back to the UK.
It
later emerged that officials at Heathrow had allowed her to board a
connecting flight to Glasgow even though she had complained of a fever,
testing her temperature seven times.
Health
secretary Jeremy Hunt then announced that officials must use more
rigorous checks for doctors and nurses returning to the UK following
volunteer work.
Before
her case the screening only involved them having their temperature
taken and filling-in a questionnaire about whether they have come into
contact with patients.
It meant that anyone who was mildly unwell was made to undergo further checks even if their temperature seems normal.
