A man diagnosed with a tropical disease after returning to the UK from Afghanistan has died in hospital, it has emerged today. The 38-year-old was fighting for his life in a high security isolation ward at the Royal Free Hospital in London after contracting the deadly Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever ( CCHF) . He was transferred by the RAF on a C-130 Hercules aircraft from the Brownlee Unit in Glasgow to the specialist high security unit at the Royal Free London on Thursday . SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Tragic: A man diagnosed with a tropical disease after returning to the UK from Afghanistan has died at the Royal Free Hospital, pictured It is the first laboratory-confirmed case of CCHF in the UK, according to the Health Protection Agency (HPA). Other passengers who sat close to him on an aircraft are undergoing daily health checks. 'Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever can be acquired from an infected patient only through direct contact with their blood or body fluids, therefore there is no risk to the general public,' the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust said. The man, 38, was diagnosed when he returned to Glasgow on a flight from Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday. He had flown into Scotland on a connecting flight from Dubai. Military assistance: The man was transferred by the RAF on a C-130 Hercules aircraft from the Brownlee Unit in Glasgow to the specialist high security unit at the Royal Free London on Thursday Emergency: The aircraft was used because of its