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International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Friday, 19.04.2024, 11:32

Should Ebola appear, Latvia ready

BC, Riga, 20.10.2014.Print version
Avoiding individual cases of Ebola outside Africa is impossible, as the people of the world are highly mobile, however, World Health Organization (WHO) experts believe that it is unlikely that there could be an epidemic outside Africa, as the head of the WHO Country Office-Latvia, Aiga Rurane, said in a press conference today, cites LETA.

She said that experts have assessed the chances of an outbreak of the Ebola virus as low, because unlike many African residents, people in Europe and elsewhere have access to quality medical services. Infection monitoring clinics and laboratories have been upgraded, and medics adequately trained, Rurane said.

 

Latvia is prepared to face Ebola, Deputy State Secretary of the Health Ministry, Egita Pole said at the press conference.

 

Statistics indicate that so far a total of 9,216 people have contracted the deadly disease, and in 4,555 cases, it was fatal. WHO specialists refer to this number as "the tip of the iceberg", as not all Ebola cases are officially registered in Africa.

 

"Diagnosis is possible in Latvia for Ebola virus," chief specialist at Riga East Clinical University Hospital's Infectious Diseases Center of Latvia, Ludmila Viksna stressed. The hospital has drawn up guidelines for treatment of an Ebola sufferer.


"I believe that we are well-prepared," Viksna said.

 

The State Emergency Medical Service Chief Armands Plorins confirmed that the service is ready not only for cases of Ebola, but also for many other diseases. All employees are informed about the symptoms of Ebola and how to recognize it, he pointed out.






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