We are pleased to confirm that a patient who was treated for Lassa fever in the high level isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital has now been discharged. We are delighted that the dedication and expertise of our staff, across many areas of our trust, means the patient can return home and we would like to wish them well in their ongoing recovery.

The Royal Free Hospital is a specialist centre for treating patients with viral haemorrhagic fevers, including Lassa fever. Our secure unit is run by a highly-trained and experienced team of doctors, nurses, therapists and laboratory staff and is designed to ensure our staff can safely treat patients with these kind of infections.

The patient treated at the Royal Free Hospital was one of three cases of Lassa fever in the UK which were within the same family.

Prior to these cases there have been 8 cases of Lassa fever imported to the UK since 1980. The last two cases occurred in 2009.