Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 15, 2014 News
By Sharmain Grainger
The local health sector should be operating as though Ebola could occur at any moment, is the conviction of Infectious Disease Specialist, Dr. Joanna Cole.
Dr. Cole who is affiliated with the University of Maryland Medical Centre in the United States, is currently in Guyana assisting the Ministry of Health with its preparation to deal with any potential case of the virus.
“In being prepared, the way you have to think about it is that it is going to happen and it’s going to happen now…Because I think if we think that we’re not going to get it, and we go through the motion (operate reluctantly) and do preparedness just because we are told, then we can get caught off guard,” Dr. Cole emphasised.
According to her, while resources are in place to address the threat, the efforts of the health sector must be one that is focused on ensuring that the resources function together in a seamless manner. Dr. Cole was at the time referring to the collaboration of health workers. “That’s what still needs to work and that is what the Ministry (of Health) is doing and that is what a lot of doctors are doing,” said the Infectious Disease Specialist.
Dr. Cole noted that while she is not directly involved in the Health Ministry’s planning process in terms of what is being done to tackle potential cases of Ebola at the country’s ports of entry; she is however, convinced that the necessary measures are being implemented.
“At least at the meetings (that I have attended) the right things are being done. It is a matter of ensuring that every single person does their part to make sure what’s decided at the table makes it into action, and part of that is making sure that the public knows the danger and knows how to protect themselves.
“If the person at immigration isn’t doing their job, then all preparations would have been for nothing,” said Dr. Cole as she stressed the importance of paying keen attention at the ports of entry.
But according to Dr. Cole, while Ebola is a threat to be very concerned about, it is certainly not the only one that’s existing.
“There are going to be other(health) threats in the future, so we might as well ensure that we let people know exactly what they need to do…so that you are not addressing things prematurely,” said the Infectious Disease Specialist.
Currently, the case definition for Ebola could include fever complemented by malaise, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and lack of appetite. And according to Dr. Cole, risk factors can include: exposure to anyone who has travelled, within the past 21 days, to areas in West Africa where the outbreak of the virus started.
“If you have had exposure because you have been there, or if you have had exposure to somebody who has been there, or if a lab worker has been exposed to infectious blood…there will be a need to quarantine,” said Dr. Cole.
She however, asserted that at the moment there is no one in Guyana fitting the case definition. Nevertheless, she noted that it is imperative that persons are aware of what to look for and pay attention to those around them in order to safeguard themselves.
Any suspicious case, she intimated, should be swiftly reported to the nearest health centre which is expected to then activate the process of isolation or engage any necessary referral.
For the next few weeks, health workers will be subjected to Ebola preparedness training facilitated by Dr. Cole. Training sessions commenced on Monday at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation and are expected to continue for another few weeks.
The Ebola Virus has been wreaking havoc in sections of West Africa after being detected there earlier this year. At least two persons have been diagnosed in the United States with the virus, one of whom has since succumbed.
As of yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) increased its Ebola death toll tally to 4,447 people, nearly all of them in West Africa, from 8,914 cases.
The Ebola virus is transmitted through human to human contact with body fluids including: blood, faeces, vomit, breast milk, urine and semen. There is no established treatment that is being used to prevent or cure the disease, although experimental treatments have been developed and have been successful in several cases.
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