Safra r.y. members heard on October 4th from Senior Physician Taneli Puumalainen from the Social and Health Ministry where he has coordinated Finland’s response to the Ebola epidemic.
So far 7 500 persons have become ill and 3 800 have died in the current Ebola epidemic in the three most affected West African states, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. So far more people have been killed by fear of Ebola than the actual virus. This is due to the closure of some hospitals, illnesses and deaths of health care personnel and fear of going to hospitals by some persons.
The number of deaths is still on the rise and at the current rate may reach 4 500 by Christmas and, if this rate continues unbated, 1.4 million by end of 2015.
So far it has been too little prevention and too late. That effective measures are taken by the international community during the next couple of week is absolutely essential to pre-empt the worse case scenario. Currently the US military is building 9 emergency hospitals in Liberia and a UK intervention team is erecting seven of these in Sierra Leone. The recovery rate of those infected can be improved if anti-dehydration care can quickly be given to those with diarrhea and transfusions for those losing blood – common aspects of the onset of the disease. The countries concerned have poorly resourced health care systems in normal times. so an epidemic like Ebola has stretched things beyond the breaking point.
Persons can also be treated at home if they are adequately isolated from direct contact with other people and provided with food, water and other requirements.
Adequate intervention is an international concern. Eighty persons in the US were recently exposed to risk by coming in contact with one Ebola sufferer before he was properly diagnosed in Texas after returning from Liberia.
Ebola is less contagious than many illnesses and can only be contracted by direct body contact or contact with bodily fluids like blood, saliva, semen, vomit, etc. The fearful aspect is the high mortality of those who become ill, 50 – 90%.
Due to this grim aspect of the disease persons travelling to designated Ebola countries should be aware of special risks they are taking.
The Finnish Foreign Ministry and many other countries have published a travel warning to these countries which means that those who travel there will likely not be covered by their travel insurance policy. Many flights are being cancelled and persons who travel to the area may find a problem returning home. Passengers are being screened at airports for body temperature and those with high temperatures will be refused boarding. That means a traveller who becomes ill for any reason may not be able to return home. They may also find difficulty being admitted to a hospital or to see a doctor due to quarantines and deaths.
Those people who absolutely must travel to the affected countries should register on the special section of the Finnish Foreign Ministry website. so they can be provided with health and information services they might need.
Ahti Tolvanen
Safra Board member
SAFRA r.y. 