Ebola screening at airports: What to expect

Heathrow Airport has introduced extra screening for people who are returning from any of the countries affected by the Ebola virus, including Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.

Public Health England staff will be present at the airport to carry out the screenings.

Any passenger who has been to one of the countries affected by the outbreak in the past 21 days will be asked a series of questions and will also have their temperature taken.

They will then be assessed further if necessary.

There are also screenings for people leaving any of the countries affected by Ebola. Similarly, passengers there must answer a questionnaire and have their temperature checked to make sure that anyone with symptoms of Ebola does not leave those countries.

This step has been taken to lower the risk of someone coming to this country with the Ebola virus.

The disease has killed about 4,500 people so far, mostly in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

There are no licensed treatments or vaccines for the virus.

Related stories

'I have Ebola!': Passenger removed from plane after 'joke'

Jetstar plane turns back over Ebola alert

Ebola scare at Gatwick as woman dies after flight from Sierra Leone

British woman tested for Ebola after journey from Nigeria to Austria