Ebola Outbreak: Deadly Foreign Diseases Are 'Potential Major Threat' Says [UKs] Chief Scientist

Sir Mark Walport, the [United Kingdom] government’s Chief Scientific Advisor, said that the increasingly ‘interconnected’ world was placing Britons at risk from imported foreign diseases

Deadly foreign diseases like Ebola are a 'potential major threat’ to Britain, the government’s chief scientist has warned, as public health officials urged doctors to watch for signs that the virus has spread to the UK.  The disease, which can be fatal for up to 90 per cent of infected victims, has now killed more than 670 people across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.  Public Health England has issued an urgent warning to doctors to watch for signs of the lethal disease after an infected man was allowed to travel through an international hub. They said the virus was ‘clearly not under control.’

In an interview with The Telegraph Sir Mark Walport, the government’s Chief Scientific Advisor, said that the increasingly ‘interconnected’ world was placing Britons at risk.  “The UK is fortunate in its geographical position. We’re an island,” he said.  “But we are living in a completely interconnected world where disruptions in countries far away will have major impacts.

“The most dangerous infections of humans have always been those which have emerged from other species. They are a potential major threat to us. Emerging infectious disease is a global grand challenge.  “We were lucky with Sars. But we have to do the best horizon scanning. We have to think about risk and managing risk appropriately...