Epidemiology unit steps up Ebola screening

by Carol Aloysius

With the number of globally suspected and confirmed cases of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) has exceeded 1,200 with almost 900 deaths mainly in the West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, the Government Epidemiology Unit (GEU) is further strengthening its surveillance of arrivals from these countries.

"We are not taking any chances. All arrivals, especially those from West African countries, will be screened whether they have the symptoms or not at our special counters at the Bandaranaike International Airport, on Katunayake", Epidemiology Chief Dr Paba Palihawadane told the Sunday Observer.

She said airport officials had sent a list of all arrivals in high-risk countries to the GEU on a daily basis to enable Medical Officers of Health to be present when they arrived. "No sooner they disembark they are taken to our special counters where they are screened. The counters are open 24 hours," she said and added that no cases of Ebola had yet been detected.

"However, if any person shows the slightest symptoms they will be immediately isolated and taken to the Infectious Disease Hospital for further investigation"

The GEU has sent out circulars setting out guidelines for clinical management of the disease said to be fatal in over 90 percent of the cases, to all health officials requesting them to brief nursing and health staff on the nature and transmission of the disease (which is by direct contact with blood or secretions of an infected person) and the symptoms such as high fever, headache, weakness, vomitting, abdominal pains and in some cases internal bleeding.