PAHO wants Caribbean health care workers trained for Ebola

By Caribbean Medical News Staff
Given recent news coming out of Dallas and a tell-all by a nurse who worked with the late Eric Duncan who died of the dreaded Ebola virus, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) wants healthcare workers throughout the Americas, including the Caribbean, to be trained as soon as possible in the donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPEs).
In addition PAHO wants rapid testing of anyone suspected to be infected with the Ebola Virus Disease or EVD. The highly contagious (bodily fluids, not airborne) disease has created much panic and fear in the United States ever since two American nurses contracted the disease while treating Eric Duncan who eventually died. More recently, a lab technician said to have been working with Duncan has been quarantined on a cruise ship to Belize. Belize would not allow anyone off the ship.
Duncan was sent back home when he first presented and returned three days later and subsequently died. The Texas hospital at which he was treated said that they were “deeply sorry” when the CDC and other officials including the Hospital at which Duncan was treated were grilled by a congressional committee on Investigations.
PAHO’s calls come at a time when the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), indicated that two nurses had become infected. Further, based on reports from health professionals in the US, the protocols on CDC are “confusing and in some cases misleading”.
In their defense, however, Caribbean Medical News does agree that the situation is fluid and levels of protection have to do with the degree of contact with an infected patient.
PAHO has however reminded Latin America and the Caribbean to be wary and to continue their efforts of surveillance and updating protocols as necessary.
Healthcare workers Nina Pham and Amber Vinson have been confirmed as having Ebola and had worked in the care of Eric Duncan who subsequently died of the disease. He had flown from Liberia to visit his son and girlfriend in Texas when he fell ill a few days after arrival in the US.
He was initially turned away from Texas Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, returned three days later but did not receive a blood transfusion as there was no match. The first diagnosed nurse, Niam Pham did receive a blood transfusion from Dr. Kent Bradly.
“Healthcare workers are at high risk of infection with Ebola unless they take adequate precautions,” PAHO said. Healthcare workers had been the hardest hit outside of Ebola patients with 233 deaths out of 416 workers.
PAHO said it is working with its member states in the Americas as part of a preparedness strategy for the possibility of the Ebola outbreak.