Measures for Ebola

A training exercise has also been planned by the state medical services in cooperation with the armed forces.

Health services have already been placed on high alert, while there will be an emergency meeting at the Ministry of Health tomorrow to discuss ways of preventing the potential entry and spread of the virus in Greece.

Τhe director of the National Health Operations Center, Panos Efstathios said that the isolation unit at the Amalia Fleming hospital had specially trained staff and the necessary material and technical infrastructure to deal with Ebola patients.T

The newly created isolation unit is fully stocked with disposable items in order that it may operate entirely independently in the event that it must be used and sealed off.

In about 10 days a war games style exercise will be run with medical personnel and the participation of the armed forces in order to further prepare for a potential case of suspected Ebola.

“Taking part in the exercise will be the quarantine unit of the Amalia Felming hospital, a laboratory at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki which will test the samples, the National Center for Health Emergencies, and even the armed forcers,” Mr Efstathiou said.

Decisions regarding the preparedness plans will be finalized tomorrow at an emergency meeting at the Ministry of Health with officials from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention where the risk of Ebola arriving in Greece will be assessed.

Emergency measures already apply at borders. Police and border and coast guard officers in particular have been instructed to take additional health precautions, especially at the Evros border and in the Eastern Aegean islands, when they come into contact with travelers who may have arrived from the affected countries. They also have been trained to ask questions to assess the likelihood that individuals may have come in contact with infected individuals.