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DOCTORS IN IRISH hospitals have examined a “very, very small” number of patients for the Ebola virus, but so far a blood test has been deemed necessary in just one instance: the examination of telecoms worker Dessie Quinn, who died in Donegal last week.
A spokesperson for the HSE told TheJournal.ie this afternoon that it would not be providing geographical or other potential information in relation to suspected cases.
Speaking at the weekend, HSE Assistant National Director of Health Protection Kevin Kelleher said there had been ”a small handful of cases” that had got to the point of “needing or maybe needing testing”.
Speaking to RTÉ, he said there were “a number of other instances where people would have returned from west Africa” and “there would have been investigations”.
They would have got so far and not got to the point of needing to have a blood test.
“We have quite a lot of communication with west Africa. There is always likely to be people coming back still who might then feel unwell and then we go through the process with them.”
Kelleher said that doctors examining someone returning from the region would ask a range of questions to determine their activity.
“If they just stay in hotels and had no contact with people, and no contact with people who are sick, then its almost impossible for them to catch the disease.”
The HSE confirmed on Friday that blood tests carried out on the body of Dessie Quinn had proved negative for Ebola.
Quinn, who had recently returned back from a period working in Sierra Leone, was found dead on Thursday morning. He had been treated in recent weeks for Malaria.
More than 1,400 people have died in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone since the start of the year in the deadliest outbreak yet of the disease. Several patients who contracted the virus in west Africa have been also been taken home for treatment in the US and the UK.
There have been no cases in Ireland.
First recorded in Africa in 1976, Ebola is one of the world’s most virulent diseases.
The virus is spread, via direct contact through broken skin or mucous membranes, with the blood or other bodily fluids of infected people.
Scientists confirmed the first cases in the current outbreak back in March, and so far Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are the nations worst affected.
Nigerian officials said today that two more people had been released from isolation after recovering from Ebola, leaving only one living patient with the disease in the country.
Meanwhile, a British nurse infected while working in Sierra Leone is being given the same experimental drug used on two US missionaries who have recovered from the disease, according to doctors in London.
William Pooley, 29, is being treated with ZMapp after being flown out of Sierra Leone on a specially-equipped British military plane on Sunday.
Two US missionaries, Dr Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, who were treated in the US city of Atlanta before leaving hospital last week, were also treated with ZMapp.
The French ATC workers should not be Allowed to hold us to ransom, they’ve caused chaos in the past. French strikes have caused chaos in Calais recently too. There should be a euro wide ATC service and an end to ATC ruining holidays and costing businesses millions.
At least the French (and Germans, and Spanish, and Italians….well pretty much every other European country out there) has the balls to drop tools and protest when they are being royally shafted unlike us piss wimpy Irish who bend over and take it with glee!
I agree, but how many people are EU sceptics (including me) demanding return of soverinty, but when is covinient then people demans more integration, such as the example of an Euro ATC which would take control of our sovereign skies, which one is it, integration or back to the EEA?
No doubt the French Air Traffic Controllers take the pi$$ but if Mick in Ryanair had his way we would all be working for tuppence halfpenny an hour…
There must be a middle ground…
French ATC workers are extremely well paid and just flex their muscles every now and then…generally to get even more. Greedy people who don’t give a monkey’s for anyone else.
As for Danish civil servants being banned from using Ryanair…..presume that is forbbusiness, or does their employer dictate how they can spend their own cash?
Why dont they get bilderbergs to help squash the People’s rights to strike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bobby, don’t be daft most EU states have legislation that prevents critical services from striking Spain, Germany, Italy and Ireland included!!
It makes sense that critical services are available
Unions wreaking Europe 24/7
The French in general are bad B******* 2when it comes to industrial relations with police standing idly by while fires rage on train tracks, lorries are invaded by foreign nationals and their government sit on their hands and do SFA frankly. It’s an annual beano insofar as the airlines are concerned but no one gives a toss . They need sorted out !
Michael forget those troublesome Danes go speak with Kim e yung of North Korea just opened a new airport and no fear of strikes there.
If it was not for strike then Employers would take advantage of employees.Already employees are being taken advantage of by employers because of the state of the economy.Everyone should have the right to strike and the French air traffic controllers have that right like anyone else.In France if the rail go on strike then the union tells the air traffic controllers to go on strike too on their behalf so it is not necessarily the Controllers on all those occasions with the issues
As for Michael O Leary he treats his own staff terribly yet people in Ireland think he’s great and admire his business ideas, yet those business ideas rids employees of any rights, treats them like s**t, pays them the lowest of what he can get away with while he has brought down flight costs he devalues the customers rights,and treats passengers like crap too
I agree.
Why doesn’t Michael publish the contracts and terms and conditions of these zero hour contract employees.
He’s great for shouting about the great terms and conditions of those who work for him but is very secretive about publishing the contracts.
Why the secrecy?
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