The second confirmed case of Ebola in the UK has led many to worry that an outbreak of the virus in the UK may occur.
A health care worker, Pauline Cafferkey,
who was working in Sierra Leone, has been transferred to the Royal Free
hospital's specialist Ebola treatment centre in north London to undergo
intensive treatment.
The transfer has sparked fears that
Ebola could spread.
As the health worker was quarantined in
Glasgow and then transported to London on an adapted plane and driven to the
hospital with a police escort the risk of contamination is considered low.
These are the seven reasons why the
public should remain alert but not panic about Ebola.
Ebola is infectious but the
virus can be killed by taking simple precautions
Although highly infectious, the Ebola
virus can be killed simply by washing your hands with soap. It is important to
ensure that any object or piece of clothing that may have been contaminated by
a person with Ebola is disposed of to ensure it cannot infect other
individuals.
The risk of catching Ebola from
another person is low
As Ebola can only be transmitted
through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or animal the risk
of the virus spreading to a large number of people in the UK is low. Social
contact with someone infected with the virus is not enough to contract the
disease.
Those with the disease quickly exhibit
symptoms meaning they are able to be quarantined rapidly and not able to spread
the virus over a prolonged period of time, minimising the risk to public
health.
In pictures: Ebola virus
The UK has robust procedures in
place to deal with Ebola
While it is possible that more people
will be diagnosed with Ebola in the UK the country has robust procedures in
place to deal with the disease.
The UK's current specialist Ebola
treatment centre is based at the Royal Free hospital in north London. But four
hospital trusts: the Royal Liverpool University Hospital NHS foundation trust,
Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals foundation trust and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals
foundation trust will be able to care for Ebola victims if further patients are
identified.
Seeking early medical attention
lessens the risk of a fatality from Ebola
The overall fatality rate for Ebola is
up to 90 per cent, although this figure includes patients who have not had
access to early medical attention. In the UK patients would have access to some
of the best treatment available in the world and if the disease is caught early
there is a higher chance of survival.
No one in the UK has died from the disease
The World Health Organisation has
calculated that 7,580 people have died from Ebola in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra
Leone, Nigeria, Mali and the US. The total number of reported cases now stands
at more than 19,340.
However, in the UK no one has died from
the disease. William Pooley, who contracted the disease in August, made a full
recovery after treatment in the Royal Free’s Ebola unit.
Ebola can be contained if dealt
with properly
Ebola was first reported in Guinea in
December 2013. But when health officials became aware of the epidemic
procedures to halt the spread of the disease were put in place.
The disease has now largely been
contained to West Africa. Senegal and Nigeria were able to stop the spread of
the disease thanks to measures, including quarantines and public awareness
campaigns. There is no reason to think that if an outbreak did occur in the UK,
it could not be dealt with in a similar way.
The risk to those who have not
travelled to at-risk locations is very low
To date the UK has dealt with two
patients who were confirmed to have Ebola, both of whom had travelled to
at-risk areas in Africa. They were both quickly isolated and received
specialist medical care.
No comments:
Post a Comment