By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Perry Christie yesterday insisted that the Bahamas is ready to tackle Ebola cases as he officially announced the task force appointed to spearhead preparedness in the event that the deadly virus arrives in the country.
“In the face of this new calamitous circumstance affecting the world called Ebola, (I want to say) that the Bahamas is prepared given all of the challenges that we have,” Mr Christie said at a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister.
“(We will) take the right and best steps given our resources towards giving maximum protection to the people of the Bahamas and to those who come into our shores as tourists and residents.”
He spoke to reporters after the task force met yesterday morning.
The task force’s strategic plan includes monitoring air and sea arrivals as well as ports of entry on the Family Islands. Officials added that the Critical Care Block at the Princess Margaret Hospital, with its four incubation rooms, is available to house patients if it becomes necessary.
Extensive training of police and defence force officers along with Department of Customs and Immigration workers is now underway in the Family Islands, according to task force officials.
Gerry Eijkemans, a Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) representative, commended the Christie administration for its plan. She said there was no need for heightened levels of fear in the country similar to the fears spread by international media.
She said PAHO was not recommending travel or trade bans at this point.
Mr Christie told The Tribune that it has not been recommended that the Bahamas postpone plans to hold Carnival celebrations next year.
The PAHO representative said: “We want to commend the government of the Bahamas for its measures. Please, fear is not necessary. The director general just ended the International Health Organisation’s meeting by saying the fear that is going out in the world, including the United States of America, is unrealistic and is disproportionate with the risk that Ebola is posing to the world.
“There is no need to panic and there is preparedness here that should put everyone at ease. So I want to congratulate the government for necessary actions that they have taken.”
The government’s Ebola task force consists of National Security officials, including the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Defence Force, Customs and Immigration officers, Ministry of Health officials, the Nassau Airport Development Company, among others.
Comments
John 10 years ago
Do you know that the US government held a patent to the Ebola virus since 2007? It claims rights to all variences and mutations of the virus all research done on the virus and all drugs and medications developed to combat Ebola. What does that tell you?
John 10 years ago
Confirmed case of Ebola in NY. The cases of Ebola is increasing 20 fold daily, Every patient that has the disease infects two persons. The number of cases expected to be 1.5 million by January. (the same amount of casket liners the US govnernent has in storage. The disease is expected to become airborne (unlike AIDS) and then become endemic Meaning you will not able to survive it unless you get a vaccine)
sansoucireader 10 years ago
AIDS is not airborne.
John 10 years ago
I never said AIDS was airborne. What I said was that EBOLA is eventually expected to become an airborne virus and that is when the number of cases will escalate to epidemic then to endemic proportions. THE REASON WHY SOME COUNTRIES ARE LOOKING TO CANCEL LARGE CROWD EVENTS: At the current rate the number of EBOLA victims doubles every 20 days. Each Ebola victim infects at least two other people. So by the end of January of infections will be 1,500,000 if the infections continue at this rate. By the time Junkanoo Carnival comes around in May 2015, the number of infections could be 7,000,000 (seven million). BUT Canadian officials expect the disease to be 'an airborne virus" in a matter of months and if his happens then the rate of infections can be in the tens of millions by mid 2015. In fact not long after that it is expected that, the only way not to get the disease will be to get a vaccine against it. Now you know why they are taking Ebola patients to the US. They need the live virus to make the serum. The US has sent 2000 (two thousand) national guards men to West Africa to help 'combat' the disease and other countries are also sending troops who have little or no medical training. Will these troops be used as guinea pigs to collect virus samples once they return to their respective countries? They are now only testing the 'hazardous' gear and thus far they do not guarantee against getting the virus.
SP 10 years ago
..............................‘Bahamas Is Prepared To Tackle Ebola Cases’..........................................
Bahamas is not prepared for anything else at PMH but are suddenly "prepared for Ebola"??
Jackass does as Jackass is!
Emac 10 years ago
John sure gat some conspiracy theories up his sleeve!
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