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| Ebola virus a threat to UK, Philip Hammond warns | Ebola virus a threat to UK, Philip Hammond warns |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The Ebola virus, which has killed more than 670 people in West Africa, is a "threat" to the UK, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has told the BBC. | The Ebola virus, which has killed more than 670 people in West Africa, is a "threat" to the UK, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has told the BBC. |
| He said he would chair an emergency Cobra meeting on the issue later. | He said he would chair an emergency Cobra meeting on the issue later. |
| Mr Hammond said no Britons had been affected so far and there were no cases in the UK, but the government was viewing the outbreak very seriously. | |
| Public Health England has issued a national alert to UK doctors amid fears the virus could spread. | |
| Last week an infected Liberian man was found to have travelled through a major Nigerian airport. | Last week an infected Liberian man was found to have travelled through a major Nigerian airport. |
| Several West African airlines have now stopped flying to Liberia and Sierra Leone over concerns about the outbreak. | Several West African airlines have now stopped flying to Liberia and Sierra Leone over concerns about the outbreak. |
| At the scene | |
| Tulip Mazumdar, Gueckadou, Guinea | |
| This is the final resting place of the latest victim of Ebola: a four-month-old baby boy called Faya. | |
| He caught the virus from his mother, who died a few weeks earlier. His is the 20th anonymous grave in this dark and lonely clearing. | |
| "I was there with him just before he died," says Adele Millimouno, a Medicines Sans Frontieres (MSF) nurse recruited from a nearby village. | |
| "I had been feeding him milk. I stepped away, just for a short break, but then I was called back and he was dead. I was totally devastated." | |
| 'Managing risk' | |
| Mr Hammond told BBC News the government was "absolutely focused" on tackling the threat posed by the Ebola virus, including looking at "whether there are precautions we need to take - either in the UK or to protect our nationals in the area abroad". | |
| He went on: "At the moment we don't think any British nationals [abroad] are affected and we are fairly confident there are no cases in the UK. | He went on: "At the moment we don't think any British nationals [abroad] are affected and we are fairly confident there are no cases in the UK. |
| "But it is a threat, it is something we need to respond to and we will be doing so through the Cobra mechanism." | "But it is a threat, it is something we need to respond to and we will be doing so through the Cobra mechanism." |
| Earlier, the government's chief scientist Sir Mark Walport told the Daily Telegraph Ebola was a threat because of how "interconnected" the world was now. | Earlier, the government's chief scientist Sir Mark Walport told the Daily Telegraph Ebola was a threat because of how "interconnected" the world was now. |
| Sir Mark said: "The most dangerous infections of humans have always been those which have emerged from other species. They are a potential major threat to us. | Sir Mark said: "The most dangerous infections of humans have always been those which have emerged from other species. They are a potential major threat to us. |
| "Emerging infectious disease is a global grand challenge. We were lucky with Sars. But we have to do the best horizon scanning. | "Emerging infectious disease is a global grand challenge. We were lucky with Sars. But we have to do the best horizon scanning. |
| "We have to think about risk and managing risk appropriately." | "We have to think about risk and managing risk appropriately." |
| Spreading virus | |
| Elsewhere, Dr Brian McCloskey, director of global health at Public Health England, said the outbreak was "clearly not yet under control" in West Africa. | Elsewhere, Dr Brian McCloskey, director of global health at Public Health England, said the outbreak was "clearly not yet under control" in West Africa. |
| "The risk to UK travellers and people working in [affected countries] of contracting Ebola is very low but we have alerted UK medical practitioners about the situation in West Africa and requested they remain vigilant for unexplained illness in those who have visited the affected area. | |
| "It is important to stress that no cases of imported Ebola have ever been reported in the UK and the risk of a traveller going to West Africa and contracting Ebola remains very low since Ebola is transmitted by direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person." | |
| BBC global health correspondent Tulip Mazumdar said the West African outbreak had been ongoing for four months. | BBC global health correspondent Tulip Mazumdar said the West African outbreak had been ongoing for four months. |
| In that time local people have been looking after the sick and carrying out burials which can actually help to spread the virus, she added. | |
| Ebola kills up to 90% of those infected, but patients have a better chance of survival if they receive early treatment. | Ebola kills up to 90% of those infected, but patients have a better chance of survival if they receive early treatment. |
| The outbreak - the world's deadliest to date - was first reported in Guinea in February. It then spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone. | The outbreak - the world's deadliest to date - was first reported in Guinea in February. It then spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone. |
| Ebola virus disease (EVD) | Ebola virus disease (EVD) |
| Are you affected by the issues raised in this story? Are you in West Africa or do you have family there? You can send your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using 'ebola' in the subject. |