The Public Health Agency (PHA) has announced it was continuing to work with Health and Social Care and the governments in Northern Ireland and Britain to ensure we are prepared for the risk of Ebola.
Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a rare but severe disease caused by the Ebola virus.
The PHA has said there was “no change” to the current risk assessment to the public in Northern Ireland in that it was “very low.”
A PHA spokesperson said the likelihood of an individual contracting Ebola was “extremely low” unless they had been exposed directly to blood or body fluids of symptomatic people or animals, or infected objects.
The spokesperson stressed EVD was not an airborne illness.
Contingency plans for Ebola have always been based on the assumption that there is a low, but nevertheless real, risk of importing a case of Ebola from West Africa where the death toll from the virus has reached over 3,500.
The PHA spokesperson said it was “important to remember” that even if a case was identified here, there were “robust, well-developed and well-tested” systems in place for managing unusual infectious diseases.
Dr Lorraine Doherty, Assistant Director of Public Health (Health Protection) at the PHA, said although the risk to the public here was “very low,” there was a potential risk for volunteers and healthcare staff working in affected countries, especially if involved in caring for Ebola patients.
She added: “However, if the basic precautions that would apply in all humanitarian situations are applied and the general principles of infection control are adhered to, the risk can be minimised.
“If you have travelled and stayed in the areas where Ebola cases have been recently reported, and you become ill within 21 days of returning home (fever, headache, achiness, sore throat, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain, rash, or red eyes), seek medical attention as soon as possible and mention your travel history.
“As part of contingency preparations, the PHA has provided primary care and hospital healthcare workers with the latest information about the outbreak and actions to take in the event of a possible case.
“It is important to remember that for Ebola to be transmitted from one person to another contact with blood or other body fluids are needed. As such, if Northern Ireland was to see a case of Ebola this will not result in an outbreak here.
“The PHA is working with partner HSC organisations to ensure we have appropriate systems in place in the unlikely event that a case presents in Northern Ireland.
The overall risk of Ebola in Northern Ireland remains low.”
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