Ebola and Marburg: returning workers scheme (RWS)
Advice for people returning to the UK after working in an Ebola or Marburg virus affected area.
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 where they may be directly exposed to these viruses through their work.
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 RWS, in advance of travel whenever 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
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TheRWSiscurrentlyactiveduetoanoutbreakofvirus.virusCasesinhavethebeenreportedfrom:The(DRC)(DRC) and UgandaUgandaMarburg disease in Kyegegwa District, Western Region, Uganda.
DRC
For the
DRC,DRC, the RWS applies to all workers returning from affected areas (see Ebola and Marburg haemorrhagic fevers: outbreaks and case locations - GOV.UK), including those working in health, humanitarian, government, private-sector and other roles. Additionally, it also applies to all health and humanitarian workers returning from anywhere in theDRC,DRC, including areas not currently designated as affected.Uganda
For Uganda, the RWS applies to humanitarian, healthcare, and response workers returning from affected areas (see Ebola and Marburg haemorrhagic fevers: outbreaks and case locations
-GOV.UK), including UK Government staff and others deployed to support the Ebolaresponse,or Marburg responses, and personnel working in settings with potential direct exposure toEbola.Ebola or Marburg.Register for the scheme
Contact returningworkersscheme@ukhsa.gov.uk to find out more about the scheme and to register.
Further information about Ebola or Marburg
See Viral haemorrhagic fevers: epidemiology, characteristics, diagnosis and management.
Updates to this page
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Added Marburg disease in Uganda in 2026
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Updated information on DRC and Uganda.
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Updated with notification of a confirmed outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
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Updated with notification of a suspected outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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Updated Ethiopia information.
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Updated MARD outbreak areas in Ethiopia
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Outbreak in Kasai Province, DRC declared over.
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New Marburg outbreak reported in South Ethiopia Regional State, Ethiopia.
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New Ebola outbreak reported in Kasai province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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Removed reference to clade I mpox as that is no longer a HCID.
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Updated the 'current outbreaks' section
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Removed the inclusion of Marburg virus disease in Kagera region, Tanzania from the list of outbreaks for which the RWS is currently active.
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Update to reflect active outbreaks of ebola and Marburg virus disease.
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Updated the Current outbreak areas section about the Marburg outbreak.
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Updated with information about the Marburg virus disease outbreak in Tanzania.
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Updated the 'current outbreaks' section.
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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.