Tag: Ebola

INIA installs thermal cameras to prevent Ebola

Ibrahim Nasir International Airport has strengthened measures against Ebola carrying travelers by installing thermal cameras to identify travelers with high body temperature which is one symptoms of Ebola.

In an unveiling of the cameras held at the airport today, State Minister for Health Dr Aishath Rameela said that the travelers with high fevers would be identified using the cameras and would be taken to specialised screening booths.

The travelers who are suspected of having Ebola after the screening will be quarantined in a special isolation room until doctors from Hulhumalé hospital arrive and transport them for further examination.

Dr Rameela also said that thermal cameras are planned to be installed in the other two international airports in the Maldives.

Earlier this week the government announced that no travellers from the countries worst affected by the Ebola crisis would be permitted entry to the Maldives. Additionally, anyone having travelled to one of these countries must now wait until the 21 day incubation period has elapsed before being granted a visa.

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Government bars arrivals from countries worst affected by Ebola

The Government of Maldives will no longer issue on-arrival visas to travellers arriving from countries heavily affected by the Ebola outbreak.

Arrivals from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea will not be issued visas, third country nationals who have visited these countries will not be granted entry until 21 days have elapsed.

“The Government of Maldives has taken these decisions based on the need to protect the Maldives from the disease, and to assure both nationals and tourists of the seriousness with which the matter is being taken by the authorities,” explained the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The current outbreak of the virus was first reported in March this year and has gone on to kill more than 4000 people in West Africa, making it more deadly than all previous ebola epidemics combined.

Minister of Defence and acting health minister Mohamed Nazim last night announced the measures during a ceremony at the health ministry, expressing his hope that the disease not spread to a country as vulnerable as the Maldives.

Thirty day visas are currently provided on arrival to over one million tourists visiting the Maldives each year. The generous visa rules have also made the country a popular transit point for refugees.

A man from Nigeria was place in quarantine in Hulhumalé late last month after appearing to be unwell, though he was later found to have no symptoms of the virus.

During a health ministry press conference held following this incident, officials explained that all arrivals from the affected region were being screened at immigration and monitored upon their release.

HPA Epidemiologist Dr Aishath Aroona Abdulla noted at the time that 109 individuals from the affected areas had visited the Maldives since screening began, but that none had come from the three worst affected countries.

A press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday reiterated the “quite insignificant” levels of travel between the countries in question and the luxury tourist destination.

Visitors from Africa made up just 0.7 percent of all tourist arrivals to the Maldives in 2013, with 0.4 percent of these coming from South Africa.

In late August the government advised Maldivian nationals against travel to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It was announced yesterday that any Maldivians returning from the three heavily affected countries will now be isolated for the duration of the 21 day incubation period.

The first symptoms of the disease – currently known to be transmitted only through direct contact and bodily fluids – include fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache, and a sore throat. This is followed by diarrhoea and vomitting.

The disease can impair the functioning of organs such as the kidneys and liver and can result in internal and external bleeding. There is currently no vaccine or cure for Ebola and past outbreaks have had fatality rates of up to 90 percent.

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Ebola health alert issued, minimal risk for Maldives

The Ministry of Health has issued a health alert regarding the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, although the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has said the risk is minimal for the Maldives.

“We have discussed this with the WHO as well, the risk is minimal for Maldives,” said Dr Aishath Aroona, an epidemiologist at the HPA.

” It is very unlikely as there are very few people going or coming from these three countries to Maldives, and infection control in the Maldives is very effective,” she said.

The health ministry has warned against travelling to the three countries in which the disease have been found – Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

The ministry requested anyone who has travelled to these countries to look for symptoms of the disease for 21 days and to seek medical assistance should any be recognised.

Meanwhile, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) is working with the Department of Immigration and Emigration to identify people arriving in the Maldives from these countries.

These people will be checked at the airport’s health counter and released if the virus is not found. The HPA will keep track of those released, advising them to report immediately if any symptoms are found. In this event, the agency recommends people visit the major tertiary hospitals rather that health centers and clinics.

Additionally, the agency has sent infection control guidelines to to all health service providers around the country – including those at tourist resorts – to ensure the safety of patients and staff. Doctors are asked to take great care and proper measures to avoid infection, including the use of gloves and waterproof clothing.

Dr Aroona said that WHO is working in these countries to ensure no infected person travels abroad in order to minimise the risk of a global outbreak.

The disease

The health ministry alert referred to WHO warnings regarding the virus noting that, while it is currently known to be transmitted only through direct contact and bodily fluids of an infected person, the possibility of the virus being transmitted through other means is still under investigation.

The WHO has reported total of 1,603 cases and 887 deaths since March in the three afflicted West African countries. While Nigeria has reported three probable cases there is no outbreak in the country, with further information revealing that one of the three had come to the country from Liberia.

The incubation period between infection and the onset of symptoms can last from two to 21 days.

After this period the first symptoms of the disease which become visible include fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache, and a sore throat. This is followed by diarrhoea and vomitting.

The disease can impair the functioning of organs such as the kidneys and liver and can results in internal and external bleeding. Currently there is no vaccine or cure for Ebola and past outbreaks have had fatality rates of up to 90 percent.

More information on the Ebola virus disease have been provided by the WHO here.

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