UK ON KILLER VIRUS ALERT

Death toll in China doubles ++ NHS helpline on stand-by ++ Yet arrivals into UK from infected city say: All we got was a leaflet

BRITISH officials are facing questions over their response to the deadly coronavirus that threatens to trigger a global pandemic.

Passengers arriving at Heathrow from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan last night told the Mail they had not been subject to any screening.

Instead, they were given a Public Health England leaflet, advising them to contact doctors if they felt ill.

By contrast, countries including the US, Malaysia and Singapore have introduced more rigorous checks, with all passengers arriving from Wuhan having their temperature taken, regardless of

whether they have any symptoms. As pressure grew on ministers to draw up a robust plan to manage a potential outbreak:

the Foreign office advised against all but essential travel to Wuhan;

the World Health organisation met to decide whether to declare a public health emergency;

one British scientist said the virus’s death rate was similar to Spanish flu, which killed more than 200,000 Britons in 1918/19;

experts feared the virus could spread as people travel to celebrate the chinese new Year on Saturday;

the number of deaths doubled in a day, from nine to 17, with thousands of cases feared worldwide;

Health officials confirmed that the virus had spread to nearly all of china’s 23 provinces.

Wuhan – a city of 11 million people – is temporarily shutting its entire public transport as it tries to halt the outbreak of the virus, which is thought to have been spread by a snake in the city’s market. People have been told not to leave the area and the airport and train stations will be closed to outgoing passengers.

thomas crosby, 31, of Birmingham, arrived in London from Wuhan last night. He said: ‘It could have been a completely normal flight. nobody screened us before we got on and nobody screened us when we got off. All we got was a leaflet – and it’s not in chinese either, so I don’t know if that really helps chinese passengers.’

the leaflet advises people to contact their GP or call the NHS 111 helpline if they experienced flu, breathing difficulties or a cough within 14 days of visiting Wuhan.

Amid a growing panic over the virus, the mail can reveal that the NHS 111 helpline has been put on alert. officials have prepared a recorded message which would be played at the beginning of all 111 calls alerting patients to possible symptoms.

they have also drawn up a set of questions to be asked by call handlers to help identify people with coronavirus. the preparations have been made by NHS england and the Department of Health and will be introduced within days if ministers decide the virus poses a real threat.

British scientists yesterday warned that the UK’s ‘porous’ borders would not prevent the infection arriving here.

Professor neil Ferguson, of the medical Research centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis in London, said: ‘It’s understandable countries want to try to reduce the threat by various measures at the border. But the border will still be porous.’

Asked whether it was possible the virus had reached the UK, Professor Ferguson said: ‘We can’t rule that out.’

David Heymann, a professor of infectious disease epidemiology, added: ‘What’s important is that people know where to go if they feel unwell and how to report it.’

SINCE the Spanish flu outbreak at the end of the First World War claimed tens of millions of lives (including 228,000 in Britain), a fear of pandemics has haunted our society.

In recent years, globalisation and increased air travel have made such nightmares more likely – and more difficult to control.

Infected people can journey from one side of the planet to another in a matter of hours. Indeed, three flights a day arrive in London from Wuhan in China, where the incurable killer coronavirus originated.

Thankfully, no cases have been discovered in Britain – so far. But the World Health Organisation should today declare whether the outbreak is an international emergency.

Yes, the panic that initially greeted the emergence of both SARS in 2002 and swine flu in 2009 proved to be wildly exaggerated. That doesn’t mean the Government should have been so complacent since the new outbreak emerged.

True, ministers have – after days of inaction – finally ordered checks on passengers arriving at Heathrow Airport from Wuhan for symptoms of the respiratory illness.

But signs can take a week to appear. By that time, someone contagious could have been wandering the country for days. And what about travellers on connecting flights from China? Shouldn’t they be monitored?

Other countries are screening passengers for high temperatures. Why aren’t we?

The Mail sincerely hopes this isn’t a classic example of the Government slamming the stable doors shut after the horse has bolted.