The Department of Health and Social Care would like to reassure the public that the risk from Ebola remains very low in the Isle of Man and that the Island’s health services are prepared.
Only those who have recently visited one of the affected countries (Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia) and who have been in contact with patients with Ebola are at risk.
Ebola is caused by a virus which is transmitted when an individual comes into direct contact with bodily fluid (blood, sweat, saliva etc.); it is not airborne.
The Department is fully prepared to deal with any suspected cases of Ebola:
- Detailed information has been circulated to all clinicians in the Isle of Man advising when to suspect Ebola and how to deal with it; travel history is extremely important.
- Any patient who is suspected of having Ebola will need to have blood tests to confirm diagnosis and arrangements are in place to transport specimens to Porton Down where the tests are undertaken. The patient would be isolated until the Department is advised of the test results.
- If the test confirms Ebola, the patient would be transported to the Royal Free Hospital in London (or another designated hospital) for treatment.
- Any contacts of a patient would be identified and monitored.
The Department’s Public Health Directorate maintains close contact with Public Health England, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other UK public health authorities, and continues to monitor the situation and will take appropriate action where necessary.
It is important to re-emphasise the risk of Ebola in Isle of Man is very low.
Director of Public Health, Dr P Kishore, said:
“I would like to reassure the public that we have taken steps to ensure that we are fully prepared for any suspected Ebola cases in the Isle of Man. However I must emphasise that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa poses a very minimal risk to the Isle of Man and the chances of importing a case onto the Island is very low, with the risk of an outbreak here virtually zero.
“It is important to remember that since 1994 there have been Ebola outbreaks every year in sub-Saharan Africa – so this year’s outbreak is not unexpected – it is the scale of the outbreak that is posing a significant challenge.”
The Department has setup a dedicated webpage for the public which contains details on Ebola and links to more detailed information.
