THE Ebola crisis in Western Africa has reached "unprecedented" levels according to a Nottingham expert.
But Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, has reassured the public that there is still minimal threat to the United Kingdom.
More than 2,500 cases of Ebola have been diagnosed since the crisis began – five times that during the last most significant outbreak in Uganda.
Prof Ball said: "This is quite an unusual outbreak.
"The largest before was in Uganda and there were between 400 and 500 cases, but here we've seen more than 2,500 cases and more than 1,500 deaths. More importantly, it's spread across a large geographical area."
While the Royal Free Hospital in London has two isolation beds prepared in case someone here is diagnosed with the disease, Prof Ball is confident the outbreak is unlikely to have a significant effect on these shores.
He said: "There's a small chance of someone showing up with Ebola in the UK – even if they did the authorities are on high alert so if someone appears with it they would have to take it very seriously.
"Would we have enough facilities? Yes, we would. The risk is still low. Am I worried at the moment that we wouldn't be able to cope? Not particularly, because the risk of significant numbers of people with Ebola coming here is not likely."
The international response to the outbreak began in March but Prof Ball said it is believed the first instance began in December and the disease had a four-month period to spread before significant action was taken.
A recent statement from the World Health Organisation said staff were working hard to tackle the most significant outbreak in history.
The statement said: "Since the beginning of the international response to the outbreak in March, WHO has deployed nearly 400 people from across the organisation and from partners in the global outbreak alert and response network to help respond to the disease in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone."
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