DEALING WITH EBOLA: ARMENIA TAKES MEASURES TO PREVENT PENETRATION OF DEADLY VIRUS
HEALTH | 09.10.14 | 11:04
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By SARA KHOJOYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Although the World Health Organization (WHO) does not consider Armenia
to be a “target” for Ebola, a deadly virus spreading at a fast pace
in the world today, Armenian health officials say they have already
taken the necessary steps to prevent its penetration and contain its
spread in the event of its penetration.
Already on August 5, upon the order of the minister of health, the
Ministry’s specialists visited the regions and conducted trainings with
a large number of professionals to provide more information related
to Ebola, its diagnosis and further steps, head of the Ministry’s
Division of Epidemiology Liana Torosyan told ArmeniaNow.
“Now we are preparing information bulletins for the population to
raise awareness about this matter. They will be prepared in 10 days
and will be available in public places. Booklets for passengers are
being drafted separately. We are adjusting our laboratory capacities
to the criteria for fighting the virus,” said Torosyan.
The virus disease was first identified in Africa in 1976. U.S.
President Barack Obama has already described the most recent Ebola
outbreak as a threat to global security. As many as 7,500 people have
reportedly been affected by the virus in the past year, of whom 3,500
have died. Of the 300 affected medical workers 240 have died. The
disease has already left Africa and reached Europe and North America.
The WHO has even published the list of the countries where there is
a more than 50-percent chance of being affected by Ebola – the UK,
France, Belgium, the Netherlands, etc..
Armenia is not among the high risk countries, as the countries where
the virus is rampant – Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria –
have no direct flights with Armenia. Nevertheless, as a World Trade
Organization member, Armenian cannot prohibit the entry of these
country’s citizens, as the WTO does not encourage such an approach.
Instead, the WHO has put health organizations, airports on high alert,
has increased efforts on informing passengers about the disease,
said Torosyan.
“Control at all border points has been stepped up. Thermometers to
measure people’s body temperature have been installed. Special wards
have been made available at the Nork hospital,” added the ministry
official.
Ebola is a hemorrhagic fever with a high mortality rate: often between
25 and 90 percent. Fruit bats are believed to be a carrier and may
spread the virus without being affected. It may spread to monkeys,
pigs, wild boars, dear, as well as humans, but Ebola is not transmitted
through air, it is transmitted by contact with an infected animal’s
body fluids.
The virus can spread from human to human by contact with products of
vomiting, blood, saliva, urine and stool, internal organs.
“The virus, however, is subject to mutation and often at a genetic
level, so it becomes more contagious and dangerous,” Torosyan told
ArmeniaNow. “The incubation period of the disease is from several
hours to 21 days. There is no special treatment yet for the disease.
Now doctors try to kill the virus with anti-virus vaccinations.”
At present, there is no vaccination that would prevent the spread
of the disease, while the drugs that are being tested today, even
if they prove effective, are unlikely to become applicable until the
second half of 2015.
Until then, Armenia’s government has also banned the import of
antelopes, bats and wild boars from Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone
and Nigeria before they are determined as safe with a corresponding
procedure.
According to the data of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Food Safety
Service, this year none of the mentioned animals has been imported
to Armenia. In 2012, 36 monkeys and in 2013 – 28 monkey were imported.
The reports about the death of a monkey imported to Armenia from
Africa do not correspond to the reality, said the Health Ministry
official. “If there were such a thing, we would have had lots of
registered deaths.”
Speaking about the tour of the Gosha traveling circus, Torosyan
said that its animals have been with the circus for a long time now,
they are not from Africa and undergo regular medical examination.
http://armenianow.com/society/health/57468/armenia_ebola_prevention_health
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