“Africa is a big place and the officers are on the other side. So far there is no ebola in Sudan. If there was any ebola in the area (Sudan) we would’ve withdrawn them.”
The Acting Commissioner of Police, Nafo’itoa Tala’imanu Keti, yesterday dispelled fears about the possibility of ebola entering the country through returning Police officers who have been on peacekeeping mission.
The Commissioner was contacted for a comment after an official raised concerns about police peacekeepers from Samoa who have been working in Northern Africa, namely Sudan.
“Africa is a big place and the officers are on the other side,” said Nafo’itoa. “So far there is no ebola in Sudan. If there was any ebola in the area (Sudan) we would’ve withdrawn them.”
Besides, Nafo’itoa said there are also U.N. officials there monitoring the officers.
“They would keep up informed because we are also concerned about the virus and we don’t want any carriers.
“The Police officers also report back to us on a daily basis.”
As of yesterday, reports show that most of the more than 4,000 deaths from ebola have been recorded in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. The outbreak has also affected Nigeria and Senegal. The distance between Sudan and Sierra Leone is 4,607 km.
The alarm was raised towards the end of an ebola session held at the F.A.O conference room yesterday. An official claimed that a police officer who has recently returned from Sudan was “sick.” The official did not say what the sickness was but wondered if the authorities were prepared for the worst.
Asked about this, Nafo’itoa said there are 14 Samoan Police officers serving in Sudan. Two of them have returned home for a break before they return for duty.
“But I can assure you that they are free from ebola,” he said, adding that the authorities are keeping a close watch on the officers who are away on missions.
“Their safety is paramount to us,” he said.
At the ebola session yesterday, Dr. Baoping Yang, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative in Samoa, presented detailed information on all aspects of the ebola virus disease (E.V.D).
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For Samoa, the key question was about the state of preparedness to deal with any suspected case.
Dr. Yang revealed that a simulation activity had already taken place in Samoa, despite the relatively low risk of occurrence here.
The activity saw health care professionals taken step by step through the W.H.O protocols to be applied to any case of suspected ebola infection.
A suspected or ‘alert’ case is defined by the W.H.O as a person presenting with illness with onset of fever and no response to treatment of usual causes of fever in the area, OR at least one of the following signs: bleeding, bloody diarrhoea, bleeding into urine OR any sudden death.
To date, there have been no identified cases of ebola in the Pacific region although eight countries around the world had investigated patients considered to be at risk.
A question from the floor concerned the possibility that Samoan flying foxes or fruit bats may also be hosts for the virus. The meeting was told that there is no cause for alarm since the indigenous fruit bats, Pteropus samoensis, P. tonganus and a small insect-eating bat, Emballonura semicaudata, are not the same species as the West African bats.
According to the Ministry of Health’s Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Tuliau Dr. Saine Vaai, the risk of ebola reaching Samoa is low.
But that doesn't mean the authorities are relaxed about it.
She said health workers are on alert and they are well aware about what is at stake.
“We are networking with the W.H.O and Samoa is low risk,” said Tuliau. “The Ministry has its own preparations and international health regulations being implemented on the ground have been very effective.”
Tuliau said the Ministry of Health has been working with other government agencies to monitor arrivals at different ports of entry.
“We are monitoring it with a system in the region in place where we keep in contact (with health officials) via email and the internet.”
The A.C.E.O said it was important that people understand what Ebola is and its deadly effect.
Lastly, she said the Ministry would issue a press release on information that the public needs to know about the deadly virus. Further information on ebola can be found on the W.H.O website.
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