Ebola virus disease is a serious, usually fatal, disease for which there are no licensed treatments or vaccines. But for people living in countries outside Africa, it continues to be a very low threat.

It is very unlikely that a patient with Ebola virus will come to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB), but patients and visitors can be reassured that the hospital is well prepared with tried and tested procedures in place.

The recent outbreak of the Ebola virus mainly affects three countries in West Africa: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Experts studying the virus believe it is highly unlikely the disease will spread within the UK.

Staff at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) have been asked to remain vigilant and have been briefed to ask the following questions if they think a patient has Ebola-like symptoms:

1. Does the patient have a fever or temperature above 38° degrees?
2. Has the patient recently travelled to or resided in the following West African countries:
   • Guinea
   • Sierra Leone
   • Liberia

If the answer to both of these questions is ‘yes’ then staff will follow existing infection control procedures to make sure patients, visitors and other members of staff remain safe.

There are posters across the Trust which alert patients to the fact that, if they have returned from Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone in the last 30 days and they feel unwell or have recently had a fever, they should inform staff immediately.

The risk of Ebola virus is very low but the Trust is prepared in the unlikely event of an infected patient coming to QEHB.

For information and guidance about Ebola virus please visit the NHS Choices website