UK unprepared for Ebola? MPs raise alarm over lack of published plan

Concerned MPs have written to the Government demanding details of its plans to protect Britain against the deadly Ebola outbreak - a day after it was feared the virus had arrived in the UK.

The Health and Social Care Committee (HSCC), a cross-party group of 11 MPs, has asked chief medical officer, Sir Chris Whitty, and public health minister Sharon Hodgson MP to explain 'how prepared the Government is for a future outbreak'.  

They are also requesting to know 'what steps are being taken to reduce the risk to the public from this high-consequence infectious disease', including measures at borders and the deployment of surveillance and testing. 

The letter, sent to Sir Whitty and Ms Hodgson this morning, comes just over 24 hours after a suspected Ebola case prompted the precautionary shutdown of part of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow before the patient tested negative. 

Europe's only confirmed Ebola case is currently in France, where a doctor tested positive last week after returning from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) - the epicentre of the current outbreak. 

At least 1,300 cases of the virus and 360 deaths have been recorded in the DRC, and small numbers of infections are reported in neighbouring Uganda. The outbreak is being driven by the rare bundibugyo strain, for which there is currently no vaccine.

Although the suspected case in Glasgow proved to be a false alarm, the developments in Scotland and France have heightened concerns that the virus could reach the UK - prompting the HSCC's request for further information. 

In a letter, the committee's chair Layla Moran MP wrote: 'Dear Sharon and Chris, I am writing to you both for more information on how the Government is responding to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in light of France identifying its first case on 24 June.

Health workers wearing protective gear in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 08, 2026

Chief medical officer Sir Chris Witty - and public health minister Sharon Hodgson MP - has been asked to explain how the UK is prepared for an Ebola outbreak

'The Committee is keen to understand how prepared the Government is for a future outbreak, and what steps are being taken to reduce the risk to the public from this high-consequence infectious disease.'

Ms Moran requested that a briefing be put in place to answer their questions, including if the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is working with global health bodies to 'prepare and respond to this health threat'. 

She added: 'With so many major stories and issues taking up the Government's bandwidth, we are seeking assurance that preparations have been made to prevent Ebola from arriving in the UK, and that any detected cases would be safely contained.

'The fact that France has recorded its first Ebola case should be a wake-up call. And with plenty of lessons to learn from the Covid pandemic, we should expect our public health system to have its act together.'

The DHSC have been given a deadline of July 9 to respond to the letter. The Daily Mail has also approached the department for comment.

Fears were raised on Tuesday when a patient returning from one of the affected countries presented with Ebola symptoms at the QEUH.

However, the hospital immediately initiated protocols and confined the patient for treatment and further examination before they later tested negative. Had it been confirmed, it would have been the first case of Ebola in the UK for more than a decade. 

Nurse Pauline Cafferkey, from South Lanarkshire, fell ill with the virus in December 2014 after arriving back in the UK from Sierra Leone - one of the countries at the centre of West Africa's devastating epidemic which resulted in 28,000 cases and 11,000 deaths.

Despite initially recovering, Ms Cafferkey later developed meningitis. She went on to give birth to twin boys in June 2019.  Speaking at the time, she said: 'This shows that there is life after Ebola.'

The current outbreak of the disease is the third-largest in history, behind those in 2014 to 2016 and 2018 to 2020. 

It was declared an international health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on May 17, but it is thought the virus may have been circulating for months, undetected, beforehand.

Fears were raised on Tuesday when a patient returning from one of the affected countries presented with Ebola symptoms at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital

In previous Ebola outbreaks, the virus has killed more than half of those infected, many of whom died due to internal bleeding and organ failure. It is feared that the Bundibugyo strain can kill at a similar rate, particularly without a vaccine.

Experts have warned that the situation could also worsen in the DRC as global funding to the region has been cut by almost half to around £1billion - the lowest figure in a decade.

The US's health protection agency declared that the current outbreak could become the largest on record, while NHS staff have also been told to prepare for a potential outbreak on British shores.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has urged hospitals, GPs and frontline services to ensure they are ready to identify and isolate suspected Ebola patients, warning that while the risk to Britain remains low, imported cases are possible. 

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Symptoms of the current Bundibugyo strain are similar to other Ebola variants, starting with a flu-like fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting and diarrhoea before progressing to internal bleeding, organ failure and death.

The origin of this variant is unknown but some researchers believe it was passed on to humans by fruit bats.

Scientists at Oxford University are racing to develop a vaccine, but warn that it will take two to three months before the jab can be tested on humans, meaning patients in Africa will be in a race against time to get the drug before the end of the year.

A successful vaccine would likely protect patients from severe illness and death as well as limit the spread of the virus. However, there is also no guarantee that the jab will be effective.

The Bundibugyo strain is not new, but it is rare. It was first recorded in 2007 and takes its name from the area of western Uganda, where it was spotted.

It arose for a second time in the DRC in 2012. But both outbreaks were limited in size - with just over 200 cases and around 66 deaths.

The virus is thought to spread through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of a person who is sick or has died from Ebola, or through contact with contaminated surfaces.

Patients can carry the virus for up to 21 days before symptoms begin, which is when experts believe they become infectious.