HSE 'has procedures in place' for management of Ebola cases but risk 'very low'

PROCEDURES ARE IN place to detect and manage cases of Ebola in Ireland, even though the risk to the Irish population is low, the HSE has said. 

An outbreak of the deadly disease this month in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda has caused alarm among international health officials and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared a public health emergency of international concern. 

The strain of Ebola, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, has no treatment or vaccine and is different from the more common Zaire form of the virus. The new strain has a death rate of between 25% and 40%.

The full extent of the epidemic is not yet known.

Today, the DRC’s health minister Samuel Roger Kamba said today there have been an estimated 131 deaths from 513 suspected cases.

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The previous figures from the epidemic in the country’s east were a total of 91 dead out of 350 suspected cases.

“The current Ebola outbreak poses a low risk to the Irish population,” a HSE spokesperson said, adding that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has made a similar assessment regarding the EU in general. 

“Although the outbreak is serious, it is rare for Ebola cases to occur in returning travellers,” the HSE said.

The spokesperson said the HSE “routinely monitors outbreaks of infectious disease around the world and continually assesses the risk to Ireland” and that “the HSE has procedures in place for identification and management of cases of Ebola virus disease”.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was closely monitoring the outbreak in the DRC and Uganda and advised Irish citizens to avoid Ituri Province in the DRC in particular, where the disease was first detected. 

“Those who develop symptoms should self-isolate immediately, avoid all travel, and contact health authorities or a healthcare facility for advice,” a spokesperson said. 

The Department said it continues to advise against travel to the DRC while people visiting Uganda should exercise a high degree of caution. 

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