Ebola and Marburg: returning workers scheme (RWS)
Advice for people returning to the UK after working in an Ebola or Marburg virus affected area.
All workers returning from areas affected by Ebola or Marburg virus should be risk assessed by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
About the scheme
The Returning Workers Scheme (RWS) applies to any organisation that has UK resident staff who have been or will be deployed to areas affected by Ebola or Marburg virus, in response to the outbreak. This includes humanitarian and healthcare organisations that are sending workers to situations where they might be directly exposed to Ebola or Marburg virus.
The UKHSA RWS was established in November 2014, as part of arrangements to protect and monitor the health of those who travel to Ebola affected areas for their work. This scheme now forms part of the UK arrangements to support and monitor the health of those who travel to high consequence infectious disease affected areas for their work, once they are back in the UK.
To ensure that UKHSA is able to establish prompt and efficient screening arrangements, and can provide organisations with regular updates and guidance we ask that:
- organisations deploying workers in Ebola or Marburg outbreak affected areas register with the UKHSA returning workers scheme, in advance of travel wherever possible
- once registered, organisations should provide UKHSA with the travel details of all staff (paid or unpaid) returning from Ebola or Marburg affected areas, in advance of their arrival into the UK
Current outbreak areas
The RWS is currently active due to an outbreak of Marburg virus disease in Rwanda.
On 27 September 2024, health authorities in Rwanda confirmed detection of Marburg in patients in health facilities in the country. Rwanda should be considered a Marburg affected area until further information is available.
Register for the scheme
Contact returningworkersscheme@ukhsa.gov.uk to find out more about the scheme and to register.
There is separate information available about registering with the scheme for clade I mpox.
Further information about Ebola or Marburg
See Viral haemorrhagic fevers: epidemiology, characteristics, diagnosis and management.
Updates to this page
Published 22 July 2015Last updated 16 October 2024 + show all updates
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Changes in language to align with returning worker scheme page for Mpox.
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Updated information.
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Updated with information about Marburg virus disease outbreak in Rwanda.
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Updated Current outbreak areas section.
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Updated information on current Marburg-affected areas.
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Updated information on current Ebola-affected areas.
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Updated information on current Ebola-affected areas.
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Updated information on current Ebola-affected areas.
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Updated information on current Ebola-affected areas.
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Updated information on current Ebola-affected areas.
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Updated to reflect end of Ebola outbreak in DRC.
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Updated information on current Ebola-affected areas.
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Updated information on current Ebola-affected areas.
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Updated information on current Ebola-affected areas.
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Updated to reflect end of outbreak in Béni, North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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Updated information on current Ebola-affected areas and registering for the scheme.
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Updated information on current Ebola-affected areas and registering for the scheme.
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Updated information on current Ebola-affected areas.
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Updated information about current Ebola outbreaks and registering for the returning workers scheme (RWS).
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Updated information about current Ebola outbreaks and registering for the returning workers scheme (RWS)
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Updated affected areas covered by the scheme - now Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equateur province only.
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Updated to include Équateur province as an Ebola-affected area.
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Added current Ebola-affected areas to which the RWS applies.
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First published.