UK Ebola screening to be scaled back as epidemic abates

The UK is scaling back its programme of screening for the Ebola virus due to the declining number of cases.

Following a sustained decline in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, Public Health England will be stopping the screening of travellers from Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. A monitoring system for high-risk returning workers will be maintained for the time being.

Key factors influencing the decision include the introduction of new control methods such as a highly effective Ebola vaccine, the World Health Organization's declaration that Sierra Leone is now transmission-free, and the continued low risk of the disease in the UK.

The latest risk assessment indicate that further Ebola cases are unlikely to be imported to the UK, while the risk of transmission is negligible due to the range of robust measures that have been put in place.

Professor Paul Cosford, Public Health England's director for health protection and medical director, said: "Public Health England is proactively monitoring the risks from Ebola to the UK population. We will continue this scheme until the epidemic is over in the affected countries."

The recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa was the biggest in recorded history, but is now abating due to international relief and disease control efforts.