British man begins Ebola treatment in London hospital

Doctors at a hospital in north-west London have begun treating a Briton who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone.

The man has been named as William Pooley, a 29-year-old volunteer nurse, by a US scientist who worked with him.

Mr Pooley was flown to RAF Northolt in a specially-equipped military aircraft on Sunday and taken under police escort to Hampstead’s Royal Free Hospital.

He volunteered to go to west Africa to care for victims of the Ebola outbreak which has killed almost 1,500 people.

Mr Pooley was flown out of Sierra Leone’s main airport in Lungi in an RAF C-17 transport aircraft.

Great care was taken to protect Mr Pooley and prevent the spread of the virus at every stage of the journey.

He will be treated in a specialist isolation unit for patients with highly infectious disease, the only one of its kind in Europe.

A special tent ensures medical staff can interact with the patient but are separated by plastic and rubber. It has a ventilation unit that cleans air before it is released into the atmosphere.

Mr Pooley was described by a colleague in Kenema district, Robert F Garry, as a “remarkable young man and a natural leader”.

There is no cure for Ebola but with treatment of the symptoms, and proper hydration, patients have a chance of survival.

Last week, two Americans who had contracted the disease in Liberia made a recovery and were discharged from hospital after being given an experimental drug called ZMapp in the US.

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British man begins Ebola treatment in London hospital