Britain to expand Ebola screening beyond London

London, Oct 18: British health authorities have said that screening of passengers arriving from regions affected by the Ebola outbreak will be extended to the Manchester and Birmingham airports.

The announcement was made by Public Health England Friday, Xinhua reported.

Heathrow Airport Tuesday launched the screening, which includes checking passengers' temperature, requiring them to complete a questionnaire on their current health and recent travel history.

Passengers are also required to provide contact details.

Any passenger who reports recent exposure to people, who may have contracted Ebola, who shows similar symptoms, or who has a high temperature will undergo a clinical assessment and, if necessary, will be transferred to hospital.

A group of 91 British army medics were dispatched to Sierra Leone Thursday to build a hospital and to fight against the outbreak work with 40 British soldiers present out there.

Statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) say that a total of 9,216 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of Ebola virus disease have been reported in seven affected countries - Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain and the US.

There has been a total of 4,555 deaths till date.

IANS