Updated: Updated to reflect ongoing developments, including advice against all but essential travel to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea except for those involved in the direct response to Ebola outbreak.
Read the statement on the repatriation from Sierra Leone of British national infected with Ebola.
Ebola haemorrhagic fever is a rare but severe disease caused by the Ebola virus. Ebola is only transmitted by contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person or animal, whether living or dead. Overall, the risk to the general public from Ebola remains very low
More than 2,400 cases have been reported in West Africa and there have been more than 1,300 deaths. This is the largest known outbreak of the Ebola virus.
On 23 August, the Department of Health confirmed that a British national living in Sierra Leone had tested positive for Ebola virus infection. On 24 August the person was repatriated. Read statement on Ebola in a British national working in Sierra Leone.
Should I be worried about this outbreak?It is important to remember that the risk to the general public from Ebola remains very low. Ebola is only transmitted by direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person or infected animals.
We have robust, well developed and well tested NHS systems for managing unusual infectious diseases, supported by a wide range of experts. These include experts at the Royal Free Infectious Disease Unit, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
UK hospitals have a proven record of dealing with imported infectious diseases and the British national repatriated from Sierra Leone will receive the best care possible.
Read more information on NHS Choices.
Advice for health professionals in the UKRead clinical management advice and guidance.
What are the arrangements at the UK border?Guidance has been issued to front line Border Force staff on how to identify and safely deal with suspected cases of Ebola. It makes clear what steps need to be taken should a passenger arrive at the border unwell.
If a person is identified at the border as being a potential carrier they will be immediately referred by a Border Force officer to a specialist medical care provider and reported to public health authorities.
Travel adviceThe FCO advise against all but essential travel to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea except for those involved in the direct response to the Ebola outbreak.
Get the latest travel advice for Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
Get the latest advice and information if you are a humanitarian aid worker.
Government actions to help affected countriesIn Liberia and Sierra Leone, the Department for International Development is making a £5 million package of assistance available to partners tackling the outbreak, including the International Federation of the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières that are operating in Sierra Leone and Liberia to tackle the outbreak.
Infographic - see the full size version on Flickr Infographic: How UK aid is helping to tackle Ebola in West AfricaIn Sierra Leone and Liberia the UK is supporting agencies to increase awareness and understanding of the disease within the community, to improve treatment for those infected and to prevent its spread. This includes working with the World Health Organization (WHO) to train health workers and provide the supplies they need to tackle the outbreak.
The UK has also funded initiatives to improve public information, including radio messaging programmes, on the outbreak in Sierra Leone to help control the spread of the disease.
In Liberia the UK has provided chlorine and other materials for hygiene and sanitising.
The Department for International Development and the Wellcome Trust are funding a call for research into managing Ebola outbreaks.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ebola-government-response
seen at 14:30, 29 August in Announcements on GOV.UK.Email this to a friend.