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| No Ebola screening for arrivals to UK - Public Health England | No Ebola screening for arrivals to UK - Public Health England |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| There are no plans to introduce Ebola screening for those arriving in the UK, Public Health England (PHE) has said. | There are no plans to introduce Ebola screening for those arriving in the UK, Public Health England (PHE) has said. |
| About 3,400 people, mainly from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, have died in the current outbreak. | |
| President Barack Obama said on Monday that the US planned to screen incoming air passengers for the virus. | |
| But PHE said this was not recommended by the World Health Organization and would mean screening "huge numbers of low-risk people". | |
| It also said if a case of Ebola was reported in the UK, the affected person would be isolated and protective measures would be implemented. | |
| Dr Brian McCloskey, director of global health at PHE, said: "Our robust, well-developed and well-tested NHS systems for managing unusual infectious diseases are all active permanently, and always available and regularly tested and proven to be effective. | Dr Brian McCloskey, director of global health at PHE, said: "Our robust, well-developed and well-tested NHS systems for managing unusual infectious diseases are all active permanently, and always available and regularly tested and proven to be effective. |
| "The overall risk of Ebola to the UK remains low." | "The overall risk of Ebola to the UK remains low." |
| There are 40 flights a week arriving in the UK from three West African countries - Nigeria, Ghana and The Gambia. | There are 40 flights a week arriving in the UK from three West African countries - Nigeria, Ghana and The Gambia. |
| British Airways recently suspended flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone due to the "deteriorating public health situation" in the two countries. | British Airways recently suspended flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone due to the "deteriorating public health situation" in the two countries. |
| Passengers leaving affected countries already have their temperatures checked, but people do not become infectious until they display symptoms. | Passengers leaving affected countries already have their temperatures checked, but people do not become infectious until they display symptoms. |
| The WHO recommends that affected countries conduct exit screening on those with unexplained illness consistent with potential Ebola infection. | The WHO recommends that affected countries conduct exit screening on those with unexplained illness consistent with potential Ebola infection. |
| Professor John Oxford, a virologist at Queen Mary University, has two children who are doctors and he told the BBC all doctors have been written to about Ebola. | Professor John Oxford, a virologist at Queen Mary University, has two children who are doctors and he told the BBC all doctors have been written to about Ebola. |
| He said: "Every doctor has been warned to look out for people coming into hospitals, taking the proper case history and not letting anything slip at that stage and taking it very seriously. | He said: "Every doctor has been warned to look out for people coming into hospitals, taking the proper case history and not letting anything slip at that stage and taking it very seriously. |
| "Everyone is on the look-out and that's how it should be." | "Everyone is on the look-out and that's how it should be." |
| He said an outbreak of the virus in the UK was unlikely, compared with West Africa. | |
| He added: "The virus is very fragile and easily destroyed by heating hot water, soap and detergent. | He added: "The virus is very fragile and easily destroyed by heating hot water, soap and detergent. |
| "So in a country where the infrastructure is good, where the hygiene level is good, where every house has running chlorinated water, a virus like this will find it exceedingly difficult to make a move." | "So in a country where the infrastructure is good, where the hygiene level is good, where every house has running chlorinated water, a virus like this will find it exceedingly difficult to make a move." |
| Ebola virus disease | Ebola virus disease |
| Lucy Moreton, general secretary of the ISU - the union for borders, immigration and customs - said members were concerned about coming into contact with the virus. | |
| She said she had spoken to a border force official who said there were no firm plans to change what was currently in place. | |
| She said: "Nothing that is proposed by the US at this point would have detected the case they currently have. | She said: "Nothing that is proposed by the US at this point would have detected the case they currently have. |
| "No amount of screening for fever before departure would have caught that. | "No amount of screening for fever before departure would have caught that. |
| "It's better than nothing but it's not a universal solution, it's not going to stop this spreading in the way it has. | "It's better than nothing but it's not a universal solution, it's not going to stop this spreading in the way it has. |
| "There are lots of other threats to world health and clearly that has to be a sensible precaution where it can be implemented. | "There are lots of other threats to world health and clearly that has to be a sensible precaution where it can be implemented. |
| "The risk remains very low and we have robust procedures in place at borders anyway." | "The risk remains very low and we have robust procedures in place at borders anyway." |