US customs and health officials have begun taking the temperatures of passengers arriving at New York’s Kennedy International Airport from three West African countries in a stepped-up screening effort meant to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus.

The first person diagnosed with ebola in the US died yesterday as the government ordered five airports to screen passengers from West Africa for fever.

A Chicago-bound airliner with 195 passengers and crew has made an emergency landing at Manchester Airport, officials have said.