The British government has said it will provide enhanced screening for passengers coming from countries affected by the Ebola outbreak especially at its major airports.
In a statement on Thursday by the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, the airports where enhanced screening will be provided include Heathrow, Gatwick and Eurostar.
The statement on the introduction of screening at UK travel destinations was issued following advice from the country’s Chief Medical Officer.
According to the statement, Britain is continuing to monitor the outbreak of Ebola closely, including the protection of the its “people travelling here (UK) who may be infected.”
It added that airport screening at airports in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea had been in place for some weeks to ensure all passengers leaving affected countries were checked.
The statement stated further that screening had been kept under review throughout the EVD outbreak and advice from the “Chief Medical Officer today (Thursday) is that enhanced screening arrangements at the UK’s main ports of entry for people travelling from the affected regions – Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea – will offer an additional level of protection to the UK.”
It stated, “Enhanced screening will initially be implemented at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports and Eurostar terminals and will involve assessing passengers’ recent travel history, who they have been in contact with and onward travel arrangements as well as a possible medical assessment, conducted by trained medical personnel rather than Border Force staff. Passengers will also be given advice on what to do should they develop symptoms later.
“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 per cent protection from non-symptomatic cases.”
The British government however played down the risk of EVD spreading to the UK.
“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,” the government said in the statement.
UK Chief Medical Officer, Prof. Sally Davies, said, “In line with international health requirements, exit screening arrangements have already been implemented in the affected countries in West Africa to ensure that any passenger showing signs of Ebola is prevented from leaving the country. prevented from leaving the country.” Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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