*The Health Service Executive has said there are no confirmed or suspected cases of Ebola in Ireland.
Its comments follow a report on The Journal website that the Mater Hospital in Dublin was preparing to treat a patient suspected of having the deadly virus.
*A man whose ‘flu-like’ symptoms were being investigated for Ebola in a Dublin hospital has been cleared by medics of having the virus.
www.irishtimes.com/news/health/ebola-can-we-contain-this-killer-disease-1.1891487
The HSE said: "The National Isolation Unit in the Mater Hospital is used for patients with a variety of infectious diseases.
"Negative pressure is a feature of this specialist facility, as part of normal infection control procedures."
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation has said the magnitude of the Ebola epidemic in west Africa has been "vastly" underestimated.
The Geneva-based organisation said in a statement it was coordinating "a massive scaling up of the international response", in an attempt to tackle the worst epidemic of Ebola since its discovery four decades ago.
It said "extraordinary measures" were needed to contain the outbreak that began in Guinea in February and has since spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
"Staff at the outbreak sites see evidence that the numbers of reported cases and deaths vastly underestimate the magnitude of the outbreak," it said.
The death toll has climbed to 1,069, according to the WHO, with Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea at the centre of the outbreak.
The epidemic claimed a fourth victim in Nigeria yesterday, while the United States has ordered the evacuation of diplomats' families from Sierra Leone as analysts warned of a heavy economic toll on the stricken region.
"The outbreak is expected to continue for some time. WHO's operational response plan extends over the next several months," the organisation warned.
WHO Director-General Margaret Chan yesterday held discussions with a group of ambassadors from Geneva's United Nations missions.
The meeting was aimed "to identify the most urgent needs within countries and match them with rapid international support," the WHO said.
The WHO said: "These steps align with recognition of the extraordinary measures needed, on a massive scale, to contain the epidemic.
"The outbreak has emerged in settings characterised by extreme poverty, dysfunctional health systems, a severe shortage of doctors, and rampant fear."
Meanwhile, athletes from Ebola-hit countries in west Africa have been barred from competing in some sports in the Youth Olympics that open in China at the weekend, the International Olympic Committee and Chinese organisers.
"Athletes from affected areas will not compete in combat sports" and "it was also decided that no athletes from the region would compete in the pool," they said in a statement.
...............
A patient suspected of having the Ebola virus is currently being treated at a Dublin hospital.
Its comments follow a report on The Journal website that the Mater Hospital in Dublin was preparing to treat a patient suspected of having the deadly virus.
*A man whose ‘flu-like’ symptoms were being investigated for Ebola in a Dublin hospital has been cleared by medics of having the virus.
The man was being treated at the hospital using protective ‘barrier nursing’ methods, used when infectious diseases are suspected. There was restricted access to the area where the man was being treated.
A hospital source confirmed to TheJournal.ie this morning that Ebola was one of the possibilities being investigated in the man’s case.
A spokesperson from that hospital has just confirmed that the hospital is now confident that no patient has the Ebola virus. It is understood that the possibility was ruled out by consultants in the last hour and precautions have been stepped down.
A HSE spokesperson told TheJournal.ie that the WHO guidelines are in place in Ireland and, in line with this, there are specific steps that need to be followed by a hospital should they have a suspected case of Ebola. This includes notifying the HSPC (the Health Protection Surveillance Centre) and referring samples for lab tests.
The HSE said that the man’s case had not been referred to the HSPC – but could not rule out this morning that Ebola was being “considered” among the possibilities.
However, hospital sources have told TheJournal.ie that Ebola has now been finally ruled out for the man. He had travelled abroad recently but it has been established that the areas he visited were not those where Ebola outbreaks have recently been reported.
The official global death toll for Ebola stands at 1,069 this morning, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Sierra Leona, Liberia and Guinea are the three main countries at the epicentre of the current outbreak.
-----------www.irishtimes.com/news/health/ebola-can-we-contain-this-killer-disease-1.1891487
"Negative pressure is a feature of this specialist facility, as part of normal infection control procedures."
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation has said the magnitude of the Ebola epidemic in west Africa has been "vastly" underestimated.
The Geneva-based organisation said in a statement it was coordinating "a massive scaling up of the international response", in an attempt to tackle the worst epidemic of Ebola since its discovery four decades ago.
It said "extraordinary measures" were needed to contain the outbreak that began in Guinea in February and has since spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
"Staff at the outbreak sites see evidence that the numbers of reported cases and deaths vastly underestimate the magnitude of the outbreak," it said.
The death toll has climbed to 1,069, according to the WHO, with Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea at the centre of the outbreak.
The epidemic claimed a fourth victim in Nigeria yesterday, while the United States has ordered the evacuation of diplomats' families from Sierra Leone as analysts warned of a heavy economic toll on the stricken region.
"The outbreak is expected to continue for some time. WHO's operational response plan extends over the next several months," the organisation warned.
WHO Director-General Margaret Chan yesterday held discussions with a group of ambassadors from Geneva's United Nations missions.
The meeting was aimed "to identify the most urgent needs within countries and match them with rapid international support," the WHO said.
The WHO said: "These steps align with recognition of the extraordinary measures needed, on a massive scale, to contain the epidemic.
"The outbreak has emerged in settings characterised by extreme poverty, dysfunctional health systems, a severe shortage of doctors, and rampant fear."
Meanwhile, athletes from Ebola-hit countries in west Africa have been barred from competing in some sports in the Youth Olympics that open in China at the weekend, the International Olympic Committee and Chinese organisers.
"Athletes from affected areas will not compete in combat sports" and "it was also decided that no athletes from the region would compete in the pool," they said in a statement.
...............
A patient suspected of having the Ebola virus is currently being treated at a Dublin hospital.
The ( www.thejournal.ie) has confirmed that a room in the National Isolation Unit at the Mater Hospital was being prepared this morning for the possible arrival of the patient from the hospital where he is currently located.
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However, the decision to transfer him has not yet been taken and he is currently being looked at by consultants.
The room is is being sealed with negative pressure to avoid spread of infection throughout the hospital.
It is understood the patient recently travelled abroad and is currently suffering from flu-like symptoms. They are believed to be at another hospital in Dublin where full precautions are in place.
Ebola is a highly infectious virus and this is the first suspected case in the country. So far over 1,000 people have died across West Africa from the disease. Yesterday the WHO warned that the outbreak was worse than previously thought.
Unlike other infections like influenza, Ebola is not airborne. It can only be transmitted by direct contact with the body fluids of a person who has the disease.
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