Soon the first Ebola suspicions in Germany

Tropical medicine warns against the first Ebola suspicions in Germany

11/11/2014

According to experts, the Ebola suspected cases could rise rapidly in Germany in just a few weeks. These should not be specific Ebola cases, but just suspicion cases.

Around 5,000 deaths and almost 14,000 Ebola infections have so far been registered in West Africa. Organizations from around the world are currently working to combat the deadly infectious disease in the affected region. Many of the helpers will return home in the run up to Christmas. As one expert suspects, therefore, significantly more Ebola suspected cases could be reported in Germany in just a few weeks than before.

Helpers will travel to their home country in the run up to Christmas
„In December, the number of suspected cases of Ebola in the republic will start to increase. And that will make our whole healthcare system pretty tense“, explained the chief physician of the Missionary Medical Clinic in Würzburg, August Stich, to the news agency dpa. This is because hundreds of German helpers are returning to their jobs in West Africa. All those who arrive at elevated temperatures or show other typical Ebola symptoms must then be checked. For this, the helpers are intensively monitored in the 21 days after their return and spend the time partly in domestic quarantine. It can take up to three weeks before Ebola breaks out after an infection. The signs include fever, diarrhea and vomiting.

Expert speaks of „panic“
„And then the question arises: what are we going to do with someone who develops disease symptoms in these three weeks that are most likely not Ebola, but which still need to be clarified - under conditions that allow it to be Ebola?“, asked Stich. According to the Ebola experts, the family doctors, emergency outpatient departments and clinics are far from being all prepared to handle suspicious cases. „What I've experienced right now is really panic when someone comes back from Africa with diarrhea“, so stitch. It was not a solution to distribute the suspected cases to one of the nationwide seven treatment centers. These would not have the capacity to do so.

Authorities are now in a forced move
It is important that yourself „the periphery on appropriately meaningful measures“ adjusting. However, isolation would have to be created locally. According to Stich, a small group should be trained in the use of protective clothing. This could then take blood samples from the patients. „It is important to clearly establish a procedure for examining this blood sample. I can not study in a normal laboratory. If this is really Ebola blood, I endanger the lab technicians.“ The doctor sees the authorities in a forced move. „Now you have to agree on the level of the state health authorities, the federal government and the Robert Koch Institute, how best to establish this.“ (Ad)