Ebola Update

 

Local doctors and nurses are making sure that they fully prepared to deal with any suspected cases of the ebola virus.

There have been no cases in the UK, but clinicians are carefully following national guidance on how to deal with the infection.

Ian Hosein, Director of Infection Prevention at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “It is important that people understand that ebola is not an airborne virus, so it cannot be spread without extremely close contact.

“However, we are fully prepared to deal with any suspected cases, as are our colleaguesin community care. The UK has an established, well-tested system for dealing with any known or suspected cases of the disease.”

A spokesperson for the local clinical commissioning groups said: ‘Local GPs have all received the latest guidance on Ebola and know what to do in the unlikely event that they see a patient with symptoms.’

The infection has hit people in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. Symptoms include fever, bleeding and central nervous system damage. The fatality rate can reach 90%, but the current outbreak is about 55%.

For more information, visit the World Health Organisation websitehttp://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/faq-ebola/en/