Ebola patient treated in isolation in Leiden
LUMC treats healthcare worker from Congo in a special isolation ward.
A patient with a confirmed Ebola infection was admitted to Leiden University Medical Centre on Thursday. The patient worked as a healthcare worker in the Democratic Republic of Congo and is being treated there in strict isolation.
LUMC reports that the patient was brought to the Netherlands on Thursday on a special flight. After arrival, they were admitted to the high-risk isolation unit. The hospital says the necessary facilities, protective equipment and protocols are available.
According to LUMC, the patient fell ill in Congo. No information has been released about their identity, age or current medical condition. Nor has it been reported how the infection occurred. The hospital is not sharing any further patient information on the matter.
The admission is unrelated to any general spread of Ebola in the Netherlands. Ebola is mainly spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of someone who is ill. A patient isolated in accordance with the regulations therefore poses no infection risk to other patients or visitors.
The background is a major outbreak of Bundibugyo virus in eastern Congo. In its latest comprehensive overview, using data up to 7 September, the World Health Organization reported 6,757 confirmed cases and 3,267 deaths in Congo. The WHO warned that the figures may partly rise as a result of improved detection and registration.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control considers the risk of infection for the general population in Europe to be very small. For healthcare workers and others working in an affected area for an extended period, the exposure risk may be higher. Separate procedures therefore exist for medical transport, monitoring and isolation.
The patient is being treated by a specialised LUMC team. The hospital has practised receiving patients with serious infectious diseases on several occasions. RIVM, ECDC and international health organisations are monitoring the situation; for now, there is no indication of transmission of the virus outside the healthcare setting in Leiden.
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The core facts have been confirmed by LUMC, RIVM, WHO and ECDC. The text makes clear which medical information is not public and makes no statements about the individual prognosis.
- confirmed A patient with an Ebola infection has been admitted to LUMC. — LUMC reports admission to the high-level isolation unit. source
- confirmed The patient worked as a healthcare worker in the Democratic Republic of Congo. — This is stated in LUMC's explanation. source
- confirmed The patient was brought to the Netherlands on a special flight. — LUMC refers to a special flight. source
- confirmed The WHO reported 6,757 confirmed cases and 3,267 deaths in Congo as at 7 September. — These figures appear in the WHO overview of 10 September 2026. source
- confirmed The risk for the general population in Europe is very small. — ECDC assesses the likelihood of importation and further spread as very low. source
Editor's note
It is certain that an infected healthcare worker has been admitted to LUMC and is being treated in isolation. The medical condition and personal details have not been made public; the risk assessment for the general population is based on ECDC models.Sources
- Patient with ebola infection admitted to LUMC — Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum
- Actuele informatie Ebola — RIVM
- Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus - Democratic Republic of the Congo — WHO
- ECDC deploys experts to DRC to increase support amidst ongoing Ebola outbreak — ECDC
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „ebola leiden”
- Het Parool — „ebola leiden”
- Trouw — „ebola leiden”