SINCE THE MOST recent Ebola outbreak, 14 people have been tested for the horrific disease in Ireland.
All 23 of the tests performed returned negative results.
The numbers were confirmed by the HSE’s chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan and Health Minister Leo Varadkar today.
Speaking at an Oireachtas health committee meeting, Holohan confirmed that testing has been done in a number of cases with people presenting with symptoms.
Varadkar said, “We’ve had one or two people presenting in unusual scenarios claiming that they might have Ebola – but they weren’t in the regions.”
He noted that the public could not possibly know enough about Ebola to diagnose or triage themselves.
“You will have people who have a high temperature and fear Ebola – even though they’ve never been to the region or in contact with people who have been.”
The Minister added that ”only one” of the cases “could possibly have been Ebola, they had been in the region or in contact with someone in the region”.
The committee also heard that there was a potential case of Ebola flagged in Louth yesterday but Varadkar told local TD Peter Fitzpatrick that the disease has now been ruled out.
He said that further details could not be given out because of doctor-patient confidentiality rules.
He added: “I know very little about the potential cases. People think I can look at medical records, I can’t. Doctor-patient confidentiality applies even when you’re the Minister for Health.”
First published 12.25am
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