The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH officials are working to step up preparedness in the event of an Ebola outbreak in the Bahamas as the viral disease continues to ravage West Africa.

Chief Medical Officer Delon Brennen confirmed yesterday that the Ministry of Health has commenced training sessions for first responders and healthcare personnel in the wake of reports of potential cases in the United States.

Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever is a severe, often fatal disease characterised by high fever, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or haemorrhaging.

It is found in humans and non-human primates such as monkeys, gorillas and chimpanzees, and its transmission requires direct, physical contact with the bodily fluids of people or animals who have been infected with or died from the disease.

Symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 21 days after exposure to ebolavirus, although eight to ten days is most common, according to the Centres for Disease Control (CDC).

Yesterday, Dr Brennen told The Tribune that officials have established a programme for the identification, isolation and surveillance of the virus.

“At present we are actively preparing our public and private health sector for the potential introduction and identification of Ebola,” he said. “We have sent out relevant literature and have held stakeholder meetings within the sector and with relevant national authorities and partners.

“We are currently doing training sessions with healthcare personnel and co-ordinating the training of other first responders to identify potential cases, isolate and protect caretakers, and inform the national surveillance unit.”

This year’s outbreak of Ebola in West Africa is the largest in history, with officials confirming last week that the pace of infection had accelerated.

Since March, the disease has spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Nigeria and Senegal, according to reports, which put the death toll at around 1,900 last week.

According to the World Health Organization, the West African epidemic could infect more than 20,000 people and spread to ten countries.

Last week, CDC Director Dr Tom Frieden told US media that the “window of opportunity” to get a handle on the disease was closing, as he called for a global response to an outbreak that was “spiralling out of control”.

Yesterday, CDC officials confirmed that a Miami, Florida, patient who showed Ebola-like symptoms was being re-tested after initial tests came back negative.

This comes after California health officials confirmed that a Sacramento patient, who was possibly exposed to the Ebola virus, had tested negative for the disease.

To date, there have been no confirmed cases of Ebola in the US. Responding to questions from The Tribune yesterday, Dr Brennen said: “The Ministry of Health is constantly updating its preparedness plans regarding potential public health threats of both national and international concern.”