Ebola and Marburg: returning workers scheme (RWS)

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

TheOn 20 January 2025 the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that an outbreak of Marburg virus disease was occurring in Tanzania, with WHO having previously reported 9 cases of suspected MVD in patients, 8 of whom died. Investigations to determine the origin of the infection and measures to control the outbreak are currently underway.

The RWS is is currently active due to a confirmed outbreak of Marburg virus disease in Kagera region, Tanzania.

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.