UN health agency: Hungarian scientist exposed to Ebola

LONDON – The World Health Organization says it has co-ordinated shipment of an experimental Ebola vaccine and drugs to treat a laboratory scientist in Hungary who was exposed to the potentially deadly disease earlier this month.

The U.N. health agency said in an emailed statement on Friday that Hungarian officials asked for help last week after a scientist working in a normally secure laboratory had an “accidental exposure” to Ebola.

WHO said it helped get the scientist immunized with an experimental vaccine. It also helped send two unlicensed drugs.

WHO said the scientist was immediately isolated in a Budapest hospital and the risk of Ebola spreading to another person is “negligible.” It noted that the labour worker didn’t have any symptoms.

Ebola typically has a fatality rate of about 50 per cent.

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This story has been corrected to show the scientist was exposed to Ebola, but hasn’t caught disease