Britain says it has strengthened Ebola screening after first case

LONDON - Britain has tightened steps for dealing with possible Ebola patients, its health minister said on Monday, after screening at London's Heathrow airport failed to detect the disease in a nurse who is now critically ill...

 

A week ago, 39-year-old Pauline Cafferkey, who had been working in West Africa with the charity Save the Children, became the first person to be diagnosed with the disease in Britain.

 

She had flown from Sierra Leone to Scotland via Morocco and London and was screened for a high temperature with other returning health workers at Heathrow but showed no signs of fever. When she requested further screening, six subsequent checks were within normal levels and she continued her journey....

 

 "We have ... strengthened our guidance to ensure that anyone from a high-risk group who feels unwell will be reassessed, advice will be immediately sought from an infectious diseases specialist and the passenger will be referred for testing if appropriate," Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told parliament, saying the new procedures had been in place since Dec. 29....