Deadly virus: Despite low risk, plan prepared to quash Ebola

All airports directed to screen passengers from affected countries

ISLAMABAD: Despite the low risk of Ebola outbreak in Pakistan, the federal government has chalked out a comprehensive plan in coordination with the provinces, UN agencies and the Pakistan Army to tackle the disease if any case emerges in the country.

“Although not a single case of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) has been reported in Pakistan, we are all set to deal with the fatal disease that has claimed over 4,000 lives across the world,” Minister of State for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (NHSRC) Saira Afzal Tarar told reporters on Wednesday.



She said the government as a preventive course has taken various measures to provide guidance, advice and capacity building to identify suspected cases of EVD and manage possible outbreak of the disease according to World Health Organisation (WHO) and International guidelines.

“All major airports across the country have been directed to screen passengers coming from Ebola-stricken countries. Public hospitals have been directed to establish separate isolation wards for the treatment of its patients,” Tarar said.

The minister added that the Pakistan Army was also looking after all officers returning from Ebola-affected countries.

“Around 8,000 Pakistani soldiers are deployed as part of UN peacekeeping mission in African countries… the army has informed us it is regularly screening all soldiers returning to Pakistan [from peacekeeping duties in Africa].”

Tarar said that the government will keep a special check on all the entry and exit points of the country. The provinces, meanwhile, have been asked to immediately report any EVD case to the federal health ministry. All provincial and federal health departments have been directed to nominate a federal and provincial director general health as a focal person for the EVD coordinating body.

The NHSRC ministry also held a meeting on Wednesday, which was attended by representatives from WHO, Unicef, provincial health departments and Civil Aviation Authority, among others.

According to a press release issued by the ministry, participants of the meeting agreed to notify a coordination body with representation of all partners and stakeholders, and responsibilities were assigned to undertake major tasks. It stated that the NHSRC minister stressed on an awareness campaign throughout the country.

Meanwhile, WHO committed to carry out extensive training for staff and the Unicef Health Section committed to support the government of Pakistan in developing a comprehensive Communication Plan for EVD awareness.

On the other hand, vice-chancellor of the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Prof Javed Akram, when contacted by The Express Tribune, said the administration of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) has not received any directions from the federal government to establish an isolation ward for EVD. “However Pims has taken this initiative on its own,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2014.