A Briton living in Sierra Leone has tested positive for Ebola, the first Briton and the second European  to fall victim to the deadly disease, the Department of Health said on Saturday.

Some 1,427 people have died among 2,615 cases documented in the world’s worst outbreak of the highly contagious hemorrhagic fever that has spread across west Africa since first being identified in Guinea in March.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer John Watson confirmed a British national was among those suffering from Ebola and said medical experts were assessing the situation in Sierra Leone to ensure appropriate care was provided.

“The overall risk to the public in the UK continues to be very low,” Watson said in a statement.

No further details about the British national were immediately available. A Spanish priest,Miguel Pajares, working in Liberia died early August in Madrid, five days after being airlifted for treatment. Spanish priest  died five days after being airlifted from Liberia to Madrid for expert care.

Ebola, which is passed on by direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons, strikes hardest at healthcare providers and carers who work closely with patients.

The vast majority of cases of Ebola have been in the remote border areas of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, but concern over Ebola’s spread grew last month when a U.S. citizen died in Nigeria of the virus after arriving from the region.