ALTHOUGH the risk of contracting Ebola is very low in the UK, Gloucestershire Local Resilience Forum is testing how a case of the illness would be handled in the county.

The exercise is designed to test the plans that are already in place to manage a case such as Ebola and make sure that all organisations are prepared in the unlikely event of a case in Gloucestershire.

This exercise will make sure that all organisations are fully prepared and that everyone’s responses would be effective in practice.

The Ebola outbreak in western Africa has been widely reported in the media and nationally there have been plans for dealing with this type of disease for some time.

Since the outbreak in Africa these plans have been revised and it is these that will be tested on Friday, October 24 in Brockworth.

If a case were to occur in the county it would be essential that all organisations involved communicate with each other quickly, efficiently and responsibly; so this will be tested as part of the exercise.

Organisations involved in the exercise include, but are not limited to, Public Health England, Gloucestershire Care Services, Gloucestershire Police, Gloucestershire County Council, district councils, Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group and Gloucestershire Hospitals Trust.

Peter Brambleby, director of Public Health at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “The purpose of this exercise is to make sure that all the organisations are prepared for handling a case of Ebola should we need to, but I’d like to reassure people that the likelihood of catching Ebola in the UK is very low.

“It’s sensible for us to be on the front foot and be prepared for everything, which is why holding this exercise is a good idea.

"We’re all very confident that the responses already in place are efficient, but this will give us an opportunity to guarantee that we will do everything possible in the unlikely event of a case.”