A nationwide drill to test Britain's readiness for an ebola outbreak has left the Health Secretary "doubly reassured" the country could cope.
Jeremy Hunt said the eight-hour simulation at locations across the country proved "robust plans" were in place if the disease, which has killed more than 4,000 people in West Africa, reached the UK.
Ministers joined dozens of medical professionals, some of whom wore protective clothing, as actors simulated symptoms of the deadly virus.
The exercise, which was ordered by David Cameron as part of the UK's contingency plan, involved staff from hospitals, the ambulance service and Public Health England.
One scenario saw a patient collapse at Gateshead shopping centre.
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Gallery: Ebola Exercise Tests UK Readiness
A nationwide drill to test Britain's readiness for an ebola outbreak has left the Health Secretary "doubly reassured" the country would cope
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The eight-hour simulation at hospitals across the country proves Britain has "robust plans" in place, says Jeremy Hunt. Continue for more images
They were assessed and placed in isolation at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.
Samples were sent for testing at the Porton Down science laboratories in Wiltshire and, after returning an Ebola diagnosis, the patient was transferred to the Royal Free in London.
In a separate case, a patient arrived at Hillingdon walk-in centre in London with flu-like symptoms, having recently returned from West Africa.
Mr Hunt chaired a fake COBRA meeting as part of the exercise.
He said: "This is an extremely useful exercise and I feel doubly reassured that we have robust plans in place in the event that we get an ebola case in the UK.
"We will evaluate what went well and what we need to improve.
"This exercise is just one small part of our ongoing contingency plans for ebola. It builds on activity we routinely practise for a wide variety of illnesses and other emergencies."
Meanwhile, aid ship RFA Argus, which will travel to Sierra Leone next week to help fight the outbreak, has arrived in Falmouth, Cornwall.
It will carry medical supplies, three Merlin helicopters, aircrew and engineers.
Its deployment comes as the Prime Minister was forced to defend the decision to introduce enhanced screening for the virus at major points of entry, saying it had been taken on "medical advice".
The move was criticised by health experts, with one describing it as a "complete waste of time".
As Britain's response stepped up, a director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claimed it was impossible to reduce the risk to the American public to zero.
There is currently no effective vaccine for ebola, but Russia announced on Saturday that it expected to produce three within the next six months.
In Spain, three more people are under observation in a Madrid hospital, taking the number currently being monitored for ebola symptoms to 16.
The first person known to have contracted the disease outside West Africa during the current outbreak, 44-year-old Spanish nurse Teresa Romero, remains in a stable condition.
:: Watch a special Sky News programme on the ebola crisis at 3.30pm on Sunday - available on skynews.com, Sky News for iPad and on Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202 and Freeview 132.
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