UK IS VULNERABLE TO EBOLA OUTBREAK

The UK is vulnerable to epidemics such as Ebola because of a gaping hole in the country's ability to manufacture vaccines, a group of MPs has warned.

 The Science and Technology Committee said the UK "lacks the capacity" to produce enough to protect people.And they said the government's response to the Ebola outbreak was "undermined by systematic delay".

The government said its "swift" action had saved lives and steps had been taken for an effective future response.

More than 11,000 people died in West Africa in the largest-ever outbreak of Ebola.

DEGRADED FACILITIES

MPs praised the "heroic" efforts of the volunteers who often put their own lives on the line to tackle the epidemic.

But their report warned: "We are also concerned that, in the unlikely but possible event of a domestic outbreak, the UK lacks the capability to go further and manufacture enough vaccines to vaccinate UK citizens in an emergency."Existing facilities are degraded and new plants will take years to build, leaving the UK in a vulnerable position."

 SLOW AND CONFUSING

The report also said "delays were evident at every stage of our response" to the crisis.It pointed to research suggesting 12,500 cases of Ebola would have been prevented if treatment centres were set up just one month earlier.

And there was again criticism of the decision to set up screening at UK airports, contrary to recommendations from the World Health Organization.

Here it is a video 

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-28105531