THE risk to Wales from ebola remains low, but the NHS here is well prepared to respond to any cases, say public health experts.

The ongoing outbreak of the deadly virus in West Africa has so far involved almost 18,000 recorded cases and 6,388 recorded deaths, and Welsh healthcare workers are among scores from the UK who have been mobilised to help in the countries most affected - Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

But Public Health Wales (PHW) has been working with health boards in Wales to ensure an appropriate response should a returning healthcare worker or anyone else who has recently returned from West Africa fall ill with an unexplained fever that might signal a case.

The Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust has also been involved in preparations to ensure that all areas of the NHS in Wales can respond appropriately to any possible case.

Hospital in Wales will be the first port of call for suspected cases, before confirmed cases are transferred to the Royal Free Hospital in London

The level of detail has been such that the exercises undertaken by staff have focused on details as basic as who presses lift buttons when a patient with suspected ebola is taken into hospital for blood tests and monitoring.

The protocol for such occasions also involves the use of specialist protective clothing, the identification of a separate entrance to a hospital for bringing patients in, the assembly of pre-arranged incident management teams, and the method (one nurse in front, one behind) of escorting a patient to the designated isolation room.

Backing these measures up are decontamination procedures that involve the cleaning of stretchers and ambulances, and the blocking off of corridors along which patients have been transported.

Although it is considered likely that a handful of cases of ebola will be seen in the UK in the coming months, the risk of an outbreak is classed as very low.

Public Health Wales has put in place plans to monitor any healthcare workers returning to Wales from ebola-infected countries, a process that will involve these workers monitoring their own health, including their temperatures, and being contacted for a progress report by PHW twice a day for three weeks, which is considered the maximum incubation term for the virus.

"It's important to remember that the risk to Wales from ebola remains very low and unless you have been in contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an unwell person, there is little chance of you being infected," said Dr Marion Lyons, PHW director of public health protection.

"We have been planning for months for the possibility of ebola cases and have developed and tested local plans across Wales to ensure staff know exactly what to do in the event of a confirmed case."

To find out more about ebola, visit www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk or www.publichealthwales.wales.nhs.uk