The Ebola crisis is a real concern and the authorities must act to contain any risk, even if screening passengers arriving from West Africa at Heathrow, Gatwick and the Eurostar terminals causes as much alarm to some as it reassures others.
Yet it’s important not to get carried away. Certainly, no one should take the more sensational media headlines or stories at face value – such as the TV report of a suspected case of Ebola in Australia, which was accompanied by a map suggesting the entire continent was infected.
Ebola appears likely to appear in Britain as it has in the US, Spain and Germany, and we must hope the health workers caught up in dealing with it do not succumb. But there is little real threat to most of us. The virus is horrifying, but the manner in which it spreads is understood – as we explain.
The virus has been contained before and, as Travel Weekly went to press, it appeared close to being contained in Nigeria, a country lacking the kind of health care we have here.
Travel is susceptible to every kind of scare and always likely to be affected by a disease that crosses borders to such appalling effect. But the industry is remarkable for its resilience and its commitment to travellers’ safety, and these factors have seen it through any number of crises in the past.
Agents and operators need to be aware of the facts and keep abreast of the latest information through the likes of Abta, which is in regular contact with the World Health Organization and the Home Office.
What no one needs is an epidemic of fear.