UK airports to screen for Ebola
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Passengers arriving at Heathrow and Gatwick from West Africa will be screened for symptoms of Ebola, the Home Office announced last night.
People travelling from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the worst affected countries, will face a questionnaire from medical staff on their travel history and forward plans when they land in the UK under the new measures.
Those travelling on the Eurostar from Paris and Brussels will also be screened, with medical staff to check some peoples’ body temperature for early symptoms such as fever.
The Ebola virus has taken more than 3,800 lives with cases this week reported in Spain, the US and potentially Macedonia.
Chief medical officer Professor Dame Sally Davies said: “Although the risk to the UK remains low, in view of the concern about the growing number of cases, it is right to consider what further measures could be taken, to ensure that any potential cases arriving in the UK are identified as quickly as possible. Rapid access to healthcare services by someone infected with Ebola is not only important for their health but also key to reducing the risk of transmission to others.”
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The UK is continuing to monitor the outbreak of Ebola closely, including the protection of the UK against people travelling here who may be infected. As the chief medical officer’s advice makes clear, these measures will help to improve our ability to detect and isolate Ebola cases. However, it is important to stress that given the nature of this disease, no system could offer 100% protection from non-symptomatic cases.
“It is important to remember that the overall risk to the public in the UK continues to be very low, and the UK has some of the best public health protection systems in the world with well-developed and well-tested systems for managing infectious diseases when they arise. Contingency planning is also underway including a national exercise and wider resilience training to ensure the UK is fully prepared.”
Measures have already been stepped up in the US.
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