A British military healthcare worker has been brought back to England for Ebola monitoring after suffering a needle-stick injury while treating a person in Sierra Leone.
Public Health England (PHE) said the individual has been admitted to the Royal Free Hospital in London for assessment and next of kin have been informed.
The individual is likely to have been exposed to the virus but has not been diagnosed with Ebola and does not have symptoms.
Professor Paul Cosford, PHE's director for health protection and medical director, said: "Our thoughts are with this person, who has been courageous in helping those affected in West Africa, and in preventing the wider spread of Ebola.
"We have strict, well-tested protocols in place for this eventuality and we are confident that all appropriate actions have been taken to support the healthcare worker concerned and to protect the health of other people."
Needle-stick injuries involve a piercing of the skin, typically by a needle point but also by other sharp instruments or objects.
They are a serious occupational hazard for doctors, healthcare workers and those working in law enforcement.
The injuries are of particular concern because of the risk of blood-borne diseases being transmitted.
UK military healthcare worker admitted for assessment following needlestick injury while treating a person with Ebola http://t.co/Q35MCxX2UU
— Royal Free (@RoyalFreeNHS) January 31, 2015British nurses Pauline Cafferkey and Will Pooley were both treated in a specialist isolation unit at the same hospital after being diagnosed with the disease after helping treat patients in Africa.
Ms Cafferkey, 39, from Cambuslang, in South Lanarkshire, was discharged from the RFH this week after making a full recovery from Ebola.
She had volunteered with Save the Children at a treatment centre in Kerry Town, in Sierra Leone and was diagnosed with Ebola on 29 December after returning to Glasgow via London.
Mr Pooley, 29, who contracted Ebola while volunteering in west Africa, has returned to Sierra Leone to resume his work after recovering from the virus.
The nurse, from Eyke in Suffolk, was flown back to the UK by the RAF on 24 August and was taken to the RFH.
