She was doing her job. She was trying to help…
An Australian nurse treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone has been airlifted to the United Kingdom after accidentally breaching personal protection protocols.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said the woman was treating patients at the Australian-run Aspen Medical clinic in Sierra Leone.
DFAT described it as a low-risk incident and said the woman had not been diagnosed with Ebola.
It said her evacuation was a precautionary measure.
READ MORE: All your questions about the Ebola virus. Answered.
However, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she was deeply concerned for the woman’s welfare.
Late last year the Federal Government committed more than $20 million in funding for the private company to run the 100-bed Ebola treatment clinic in Sierra Leone.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed 8,371 people with more than 21,000 cases identified since December of last year, according to World Health Organisation figures.
The vast majority of cases have been in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
A total of 838 healthcare workers are known to have contracted the virus and 495 of them had died as of January 4, the WHO has said.
This article originally appeared on ABC and has been republished here with full permission.