THE SCOTTISH nurse diagnosed with Ebola faces a "critical" few days ahead after being treated with an experimental drug and blood from an Ebola survivor.

 

Pauline Cafferkey is being treated in isolation at the Royal Free Hospital in London, where she was described by her doctor as eating, drinking and talking to her family on New Year's Day.

However at the end of the week her condition deteriorated as she started treatment on an experimental antiviral drug which is "not proven to work".

The hospital said in a brief statement: "The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is sorry to announce that the condition of Pauline Cafferkey has gradually deteriorated over the past two days and is now critical."

Speaking about her treatment, Dr Michael Jacobs said on New Year's Day: "At the moment, we don't know what the best treatment strategies are.

"That's why we're calling them experimental treatments. As we've explained to Pauline, we can't be as confident as we would like."

The healthcare worker was flying back from her deployment in Sierra Leone where she had been voluntarily treating patients of Ebola for over a month.

She flew from Sierra Leone via Morocco to London Heathrow, where she was considered high risk because of her work, but had shown no symptoms during screening and a temperature check.

As she waited for her connecting flight to Glasgow Ms Cafferkey raised fears about her temperature and was testing six times in 30 minutes before being given the all clear to fly.

The next morning she was taken into Gartnaval Hospital and put into isolation where she was diagnosed with Ebola. She was then flown to the Royal Free Hospital in London.

All UK-based passengers and crew on board the two flights taken by the nurse from Morocco and London have now been contacted by medical authorities and given advice, Public Health England have confirmed.

David Cameron has said Ebola is the "uppermost thing" on his mind following the news.

He is also listening to medical experts about whether a quarantine system should be put in place for returning health workers volunteering in West Africa to combat the disease, he said on the Andrew Marr show on BBC1.

He added that in cases of uncertainty, patients should be taken to the Northwick Park Hospital in Middlesex to be observed.

Dr Peter Carter, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: "It's sad and distressing to hear that Pauline Cafferkey is now in a critical condition.

"The thoughts of the entire nursing profession are with her and her family at this time.

He added: "The efforts of frontline health care workers like Pauline have been essential for containing the spread of Ebola, even though it means they themselves face considerable risks. Their bravery and their compassion is inspirational."

Ms Cafferkey is the second Brit to test positive for Ebola and the first do be diagnosed in the UK with the disease which has killed more than 7,800 people since the outbreak began a year ago."