A major outbreak of Ebola in the US and elsewhere in the West is unlikely given the strong health systems, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. US President Barack Obama also said the risk of Americans getting the virus was "extremely low", although he ordered a "much more aggressive response". The US is investigating how a nurse infected when treating a victim in Texas was allowed to travel on a plane. Officials are trying to trace the 132 people who flew with Amber Vinson. The disease has killed about 4,500 people so far, mostly in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. EU health ministers will meet in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the crisis, including the possibility of sending more troops to West Africa to help contain the virus.
"Very Low"
Christopher Dye, WHO director of strategy, said the introduction of Ebola into the US or other countries in Western Europe was a matter "for very serious concern". "The possibility that once an infection has been introduced that it spreads elsewhere, is something that everybody is going to be concerned about," he said. But he added: "We're confident that in North America and Western Europe where health systems are very strong, that we're unlikely to see a major outbreak in any of those places." Earlier, President Obama said the likelihood of a widespread Ebola outbreak was "very, very low". However, he promised a "much more aggressive" monitoring of Ebola cases in the US and reaffirmed plans to send a "Swat team" of experts to any hospital that reported an infection.
Analysis: Jon Sopel, BBC News North America editor
The CDC has said it was a clear breach of guidelines and protocol for a health worker under observation to fly, or travel on a bus or a train. But did the nurse herself know this? Remember that word containment? It seems to be quite the reverse. It is as though someone has taken Steven Soderbergh's script from the film Contagion and decided to try to make it reality - what is it they say about life imitating art? The Ebola fumble in Dallas
Could the virus spread in the US? Mr Obama cancelled a political campaign trip to chair a crisis meeting on Ebola on Wednesday and has cleared his diary for Thursday. He said it would be more difficult to prevent an outbreak in the US if the epidemic "rages out of control in West Africa". US health officials are facing new questions about the response to Ebola infections in Texas. Liberian Thomas Eric Duncan was treated at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital but died of the disease.
Amber Vinson is not suposed to Travel on an airplane" health Officials saidTwo nurses, Nina Pham and Amber Vinson, contracted Ebola after treating him. Both wore face shields, hazardous materials suits and protective footwear as they drew blood and dealt with Mr Duncan's body fluids and it remains unclear how they were infected. Ms Vinson later contacted the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to inform it she was travelling on a plane on Monday - Frontier Airlines Flight 1143 from Cleveland to Dallas-Fort Worth. She reported a temperature of 99.5F (37.5C). CDC director Thomas Frieden said she should not have travelled on a commercial flight. However, another health official told the New York Times later that Ms Vinson was not prevented from flying because the temperature was mildly elevated and was in a category not covered by the CDC.
The UK's 22 Field Hospital prepares to fly out to Sierra Leone"I don't think we actually said she could fly, but they didn't tell her she couldn't fly," the official told the Times. "She called us... I really think this one is on us." Officials are trying to trace all 132 passengers but insist that as Ms Vinson did not have a fever, the risk to to "any around that individual on the plane would have been extremely low". Ms Vinson has now been transferred to Emory University hospital in Atlanta.
US media reaction
*. The New York Times saysthe appearance of the latest Ebola patient "provided more signs of concern about federal officials' ability to control the spread of the disease... and indications that the issue was becoming politicised"
*.A report by USA Todaysays health officials now believe Ebola patients should be treated at four specially designed US clinics rather than at hospitals around the country *.Ebola is becoming "the next great American panic", writes Chico Harlan in the Washington Post *.The Christian Science Monitorlooks at how much large donations, such as the $25m (£16m) given by Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, can help fight the spread of the disease Mr Duncan, who was the first person to be diagnosed in the US with Ebola, started showing symptoms of the disease just days after he arrived in Texas from Liberia. The 48 people, including his girlfriend, who were in contact with him before he was admitted to hospital are nearing the end of the window in which they could develop an Ebola infection. Food fears On Thursday, campaign group Avaaz said it had identified more than 2,000 international volunteers, including hundreds of doctors and nurses, who are willing to help fight the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The group said it would give the names to aid agencies working in the field but they are unlikely to arrive in the region in the near future because of the training needed before they can be deployed. Meanwhile, the head of a United Nations agency said on Wednesday that the West African states affected by the outbreak were facing a looming food crisis. Kanayo Nwanze, the president of the UN's International Fund for Agriculture, said farmers in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia had abandoned their crops because of fear of catching the disease.
Ebola patients treated outside West Africa*
*In all but three cases the patient was infected with Ebola while in West Africa. Infection outside Africa has been restricted to health workers in Madrid and in Dallas. DR Congo has also reported a separate outbreak of an unrelated strain of Ebola. How not to catch Ebola: *.Avoid direct contact with sick patients as the virus is spread through contaminated body fluids *.Wear goggles to protect eyes *.Clothing and clinical waste should be incinerated and any medical equipment that needs to be kept should be decontaminated *.People who recover from Ebola should abstain from sex or use condoms for three months Ebola basics: What you need to know How Ebola attacks Ebola: Mapping the outbreak ~~~See Latest music And Video Files Here~~~
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