Macedonian airports commenced all necessary prevention measures confronting possible suspicious cases of Ebola on Wednesday, according to Macedonian Commission for Infectious Diseases.
If a passenger with Ebola-like symptoms arrives at Skopje Airport 'Alexander the Great', he/she will be put in isolation room until being transported to the Clinic for Infectious Diseases by a special ambulance, said Dr. Jovanka Kostovska, member of the Commission for Infectious Diseases at the Ministry of Health.
People who have contacted with Ebola patient from the virus-stricken area are required to be quarantined.
All Ebola prevention measures are put in place in Macedonia, said Dr. Jovanka Kostovska.
Pamphlets introducing basic knowledge of Ebola and protection recommendations will be distributed at the airport. Adopted protocols on risk management of acute public health event in compliance with the International Health Regulations have been sent to public services and institutions.
The risk for expansion of the virus in Macedonia is very low, but there is a potential danger to bring the virus to Europe and the countries of the region by traveling, said Macedonian Ministry of Health.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of Aug. 1, the number of Ebola cases stood at 1,603, including 887 deaths, in the four countries of Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
Patients with Ebola may show symptoms such as fever, sore throat and joint pain. This can be followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, red eyes, impaired kidney and liver functions, and in some cases bleeding.
Ebola, which spreads through body fluid or secretions such as faeces, urine, saliva and semen, can kill up to 90 percent of those infected. The fatality rate of the current epidemic is about 60 percent.
