National exercise tests UK preparedness for Ebola infection

The government has conducted a national exercise on October 11th 2014 to test preparedness for the potential spread of Ebola to the UK.

Ordered by prime minister David Cameron as part of Department of Health contingency planning, the eight-hour exercise involved actors simulating Ebola symptoms and emergency services responding to them in multiple areas around the country.

Designed to test simulated scenarios in different locations, the trial was followed by a simulated government Cabinet Office Briefing Room meeting chaired by health secretary Jeremy Hunt to assess the outcome and any wider resilience lessons.

The government offered assurances that a response to the Ebola crisis has been planned in the UK for many months, since the outbreak first started in West Africa.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "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 more than 3,000 people dead, the current Ebola outbreak is the worst in recorded history and continues to spread across Africa.