Preparations are underway at Mater Dei Hospital in order to deal with any suspected Ebola cases. A spokesperson for the Parliamentary Secretary for Health said the Health Department is upgrading two rooms at the Infectious Disease Control Unit to strengthen the contingency plan in case of any suspected cases.
The spokesperson said the Secretariat is closely monitoring the Ebola outbreaks in West Africa.
“Whilst the current assessment is that Ebola risk to Maltese travellers remains low, travel information advice to people travelling to or from affected areas has been issued together with a helpline number.”
“All doctors in Malta in the public and private sector, including all hospitals have received a fact sheet on procedures related to the disease and have been provided with a specific contact number,” the spokesperson said.
Yesterday, the president of Sierra Leone declared a public health emergency as the Ebola crisis blamed for nearly 700 deaths deepened across West Africa, vowing to quarantine sick patients at home and conduct house-to-house searches for others who may have been exposed.
One of the leading physicians in the fight against an outbreak of the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone has himself died after battling the illness. Ebola spreads easily between people and kills up to 90 percent of those infected.
Airport and ports must notify authorities of suspected cases
Port Health Authorities have instructed the airport and ports to notify them about any sick persons, travelling by ship or by plane and the applicable operational procedures have been communicated.
Moreover, whenever irregular migrants arrive by boats, it is an established procedure that they are reviewed for any symptoms of infectious diseases and a clinical examination is performed, the spokesperson said.
Health Department Fact Sheet:
Information to travellers:
There is currently an outbreak of Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The following information gives some advice to travellers arriving in or departing from affected areas:
Advice to people travelling to Guinea, Liberia & Sierra Leone
Whilst the risk of being exposed to the Ebola virus is extremely low, the following preventive measures should eliminate the risk of getting infected:
• Avoid direct contact with blood or bodily fluids of a patient or a corpse and with objects possible contaminated
• Avoid close contact with wild animals and consumption of “bush meat”
• Avoid having unprotected sexual intercourse
Advice to people departing from Guinea, Liberia & Sierra Leone
The risk of having been exposed to the Ebola virus is extremely low. However, if you develop fever, unexplained fatigue, diarrhoea or any other severe symptoms in the few weeks following a departure from a tropical area you should seek:
• Rapid medical attention mentioning your travel history
• Contact the medical care facility before your visit in order to enable medical personnel to use appropriate protection at the time of admission
For further information kindly contact the Infectious Disease Control Unit on +356 2326 6109 or via e-mail: [email protected]