EBOLA screening will be introduced at Heathrow and Gatwick airports and Eurostar terminals following advice from the Chief Medical Officer, Downing Street said yesterday. 

Tests will be introduced for passengers travelling from the affected regions - Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea - to give Britain an additional level of protection from the deadly virus.

They will involve determining passengers' recent travel history, who they have been in contact with and onward travel arrangements as well as a possible medical assessment. Chief medical officer professor Sally Davies said: “Although the risk to the UK remains low, in view of the concern about the growing number of cases, it is right to consider what further measures could be taken.”

The move is a U-turn for the government who had earlier dismissed a checks suggestion made by Common’s home affairs select committee chairman Keith Vaz. Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham also put pressure on Con-Dem ministers to “look at every option to keep people safe, including passenger screening, without delay.”