Details of how the government is trying to stop ebola reaching the UK have been revealed as enhanced screening measures have begun at Heathrow airport.
It comes as official figures showed the death toll from the disease has risen to 4,447 and the number of cases is expected to rise above 9,000 this week.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), which has called the latest outbreak the "most severe acute health emergency in modern times", also warned there could be up to 10,000 new cases of ebola per week within two months.
In the UK, border checks are under way at Heathrow's Terminal 1 and are to be expanded to Gatwick airport and the Eurostar rail terminals by next week in an attempt to halt the spread of the disease to Britain.
While there are no longer any direct flights from the three West African countries to the UK, passengers who have boarded a flight in the affected region with travel booked to the UK will be automatically flagged up to officials at passport control.
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These travellers will be asked to have their temperature taken and to complete a questionnaire asking about their current health and recent travel history.
The passengers will be asked if they have come into contact with a person with ebola; if they have cared for anyone with a severe illness; if they have had any contact with dead bodies; and if they have visited any traditional healers or been admitted to hospital.
They will also be asked if they have any health problems such as headache, vomiting, diarrhoea, intense fatigue, bruising or unexplained bleeding.
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The screening measures, which are expected to cost £9m over six months, are voluntary and passengers can only be forced to undergo them if they are showing obvious symptoms of illness. In this case legal action can be taken.
Currently, there is one member of administration staff and two Public Health England (PHE) officials carrying out the screening at Heathrow Terminal 1. Other terminals at the airport are expected to begin screening by the end of this week.
The government expects up to two flights a day to be carrying passengers from the affected areas.
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Dr Paul Cosford, director at PHE, said the numbers undergoing screening were likely to total a few hundred per month. He said they would be learning from their experiences at Heathrow over the coming days.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said that it is "likely" that ebola will be seen in the UK with around 10 cases expected to be confirmed in the next three months.
He said the screening measures being put in place should ensure 89% of people travelling to the UK from the affected region on tickets booked directly to the UK are checked.
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Anyone found to have ebola will be moved to the Royal Free Hospital in north London, the UK's specialist centre for treating the most dangerous infectious diseases.
But there have been concerns that the screening is not widespread enough and relies too much on self-reporting - while border officials will try to identify people who should be screened it will also be up to passengers to put themselves forward for checks.
Global health security expert Dr Devi Sridhar told Sky News that the airport screening was no more than "political theatre".
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"Experience has shown is does not really work at managing and stopping the virus," she said.
She called for investment in a global response, adding: "Piecemeal by piecemeal screening and closing borders is not going to contain it and it's not going to work."
Mr Hunt said screening at airports could be extended to Birmingham and Manchester if the threat level increases, but in the meantime people manning the NHS' non-emergency 111 phoneline will also be taught to look out for potential ebola.
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The measures come as British troops were loading up the RFA Argus, which will set sail for Sierra Leone later this week to help in efforts to contain the outbreak. Some 750 military personnel and the medical ship, which has a fully-equipped hospital including critical care and high-dependency units, are being sent to the region.
On Tuesday a UN aid worker died while being treated at a hospital in Germany after contracting ebola in Liberia.
