Ebola virus disease - Preventing the spread of Ebola virus disease

Any area affected by an outbreak should be immediately quarantined and patients treated in isolation. 

Healthcare workers need to avoid contact with the bodily fluids of their infected patients by:

• wearing face masks, goggles, gowns and gloves
• taking extra care when handling blood, secretions and catheters, and when connecting patients to a drip
• disinfecting non-disposable medical equipment before reusing 
• sterilising and disposing of used needles and disposable equipment carefully
• properly disposing of any secretions or bodily waste from the patient
• carefully and frequently washing hands with soap and water (or alcohol hand rub, if soap isn't available)
• washing disposable gloves with soap and water after use, disposing of them carefully, then washing hands

Public Health England (PHE) has developed a leaflet recommending the precautions humanitarian workers should take and providing advice on what they should do if they suspect an infection. 

Read the leaflet here (links to external site).

Screening in the UK

The UK recently introduced screening procedures to the highest-risk UK ports – Heathrow, Gatwick and Eurostar terminals.  

The purpose of screening is to identify and give advice to passengers coming from high-risk areas who will be spending time in the UK.

Passenger data will be used to identify those passengers who have recently travelled from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea on routes with onward connection to the UK.

These passengers will have their temperature taken and complete a questionnaire asking about their current health, recent travel history and whether they might be at potential risk through contact with Ebola patients.

Based on the information provided and their temperature, passengers will either be given advice and allowed to continue their journey, or undergo a clinical assessment by healthcare staff and, if necessary, be transferred to hospital for further tests.

The printed information given will be on the nature of the virus, what to be aware of and what action to take should they begin to show any symptoms. It will include a PHE number to call if they develop symptoms.

This is just one part of the screening process. PHE is also working with the international community and local health authorities to ensure robust screening remains in place at airports in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, which will pick up anyone who has Ebola-like symptoms before they leave these countries.

Read specific FAQs on screening for Ebola at UK airports.