Frankfurt Ebola information material for passengers

Frankfurt Airport distributes information to passengers from Nigeria

08/08/2014

At Frankfurt Airport, air travelers from Nigeria are being provided with special informational materials on the Ebola epidemic in West Africa to inform them about Ebola symptoms, transmission routes and disease progression. According to the message Agency „dpa“ The airport has decided to take this step because with the first Ebola cases from Nigeria the first direct flight connection between an Ebola area and Germany exists.

Further checks on travelers, such as fever measurements, are currently not planned at Frankfurt Airport, but if the situation in Nigeria continues to worsen, this can change at any time. So far, the Nigeria passengers only receive informational material to educate them about the risks of the disease, the news agency reports „dpa“. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) has recently proclaimed the International Health Emergency in view of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, initially no further measures are foreseen at Frankfurt Airport „dpa“ citing the head of the Frankfurt health department, René Gottschalk.

Ebola can easily get to other states by plane
Ebola can easily spread via air links and spread to other countries. This was tragically demonstrated by the infected government official from Liberia, who introduced the pathogens to Nigeria. The viruses came to Lagos by plane. Now they could land on the direct flight connection between Lagos and Frankfurt worst case in Germany. Through appropriate checks at check-in, possible suspected cases are identified in Nigeria and thus a further spread of the pathogens can be avoided. Comparable investigations could also be made after landing at Frankfurt Airport, „if we get the impression that exit screening is no longer sufficient in Africa“, quotes the news agency „dpa“ the head of the Frankfurt health department.

Frankfurt airport prepared for emergencies
If necessary, according to Gottschalk, inspections of all machines arriving from Nigeria are routinely carried out. In this case, a doctor would check the passengers for obvious symptoms. It is also possible to park the machine on the apron to avoid contact with other passengers or staff at the airport. If the doctors determine a patient with Ebola suspicion, they will be transferred by special vehicle directly to the special isolation ward of the University Hospital Frankfurt. Overall, the Frankfurt Airport is extremely well prepared for corresponding emergencies, according to the health director. An emergency plan for the management of dangerous infectious diseases, which is being continuously adapted, has been around for years. He has repeatedly proven himself in other epidemics in the past. (Fp)