A national exercise will be held later to test how the UK would deal with a potential outbreak of the Ebola virus.
The eight-hour exercise will see actors in various parts of the UK simulate symptoms of the virus to test the responses of emergency services, government ministers and health chiefs.
It forms part of the UK's contingency plan against Ebola, which has killed more than 4,000 people worldwide.
Passenger screening is to be introduced at key UK airports and rail terminals.
The national exercise, ordered by Prime Minister David Cameron, will also include a simulated meeting of the government's Cobra emergency committee, to be chaired by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
Actors will simulate symptoms of the deadly virus in various areas of the UK, while some hospital staff will wear personal protective equipment.
The Department of Health spokesman said officials had been planning the response to an Ebola case in the UK for "many months".
"It is vital that we test these plans in as realistic a situation as possible - with real people," the spokesman said.
Figures from the World Health Organization show there have been 4,024 confirmed or suspected deaths in the worst-affected West African nations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone during the current outbreak.
In total, there have been 8,399 confirmed or suspected cases, mostly in West Africa.
Screening processesThe government this week said people arriving from areas hit by Ebola would face "enhanced screening" at Heathrow and Gatwick airports, as well as at Eurostar terminals.
Ministers initially said there were no plans to screen people arriving from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
However, a Downing Street spokesman said the decision to introduce screening for Ebola had been based on advice from the Chief Medical Officer, Dame Sally Davies.
Ebola symptoms: What to do in the UK
Symptoms of Ebola include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhoea and bleeding - but these are similar to more common infections like flu and some stomach bugs.
If you have these symptoms and have had contact with an Ebola patient, ring 111 first. Do not go directly to A&E or a GP.
If there has been no contact with Ebola, seek help from 111, your GP or A&E if necessary.
The chances of developing Ebola in the UK are low.
'Waste of time'Passengers will be asked questions and potentially given a medical assessment during the screening process, Downing Street said.
The Department of Health said further details about how passengers will be checked will be announced next week before the measures come into effect.
In a statement it said "government departments, health protection agencies and the transport sector are continuing to work closely together to minimise the risk" of the virus.
"It is important to stress that given the nature of this disease, no system could offer 100% protection from non-symptomatic cases but the overall risk to the public in the UK remains very low," the statement said.
Mr Cameron said it was right to take action "to keep our own people safe" from the Ebola virus.
"Quite rightly, we're taking all the steps we can to keep our own people safe here in the UK.
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PM David Cameron says ministers are "taking all the steps we can to keep our own people safe"
"What we do is we listen to the medical advice and we act on that advice and that's why we're introducing the screening processes at the appropriate ports and airports," he said.
Mr Cameron said the government was focussed on taking action "right across the board to deal with this problem at source".
"We're making a bigger contribution than almost any other country, in West Africa, to help deal with the crisis at its source," he said.
However, David Mabey, professor of communicable diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the screening was a "complete waste of time".
There are currently no direct flights to the UK from the affected areas, but people can fly via Paris or Brussels.
"Are they going to screen everyone from Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam? That would lead to a lot of delays and disruption," he said.
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