Special aircraft with Ebola isolation station

German Ebola special aircraft is ready to go

29.11-2014

Germany now has a special aircraft at its disposal, in which people infected with Ebola can be transported safely in an intensive care unit and treated during the flight. The former passenger aircraft, which was converted into a hospital plane, is initially leased by the federal government for half a year.

Patients can be treated during flight

From now on Germany has its own aircraft for the transport and treatment of Ebola patients. Again „NDR“ reported, Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) and Federal Health Minister Hermann Gröhe (CDU), the Airbus A 340-300 on Thursday in Berlin into operation. The hospital plane has a special isolation area where infected people can be safely transported and treated during the flight.

Former passenger plane was rebuilt
Gröhe explained that the machine was a flying intensive care unit. According to the information, the former passenger aircraft had been rebuilt in recent weeks at Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg. The jet named „Robert Koch“ was initially leased by the Federal Government to Lufthansa for six months. There is an option for three months extension. According to information from the Federal Ministry of Health, the „Robert Koch“ the first aircraft in which a medical team has direct contact with the patient and can provide him with comprehensive care during the flight.

„International community a little too late“
„We have to admit that as an international community we came a little too late. The more we are required to do what we can now“, explained Steinmeier loudly during the inspection of the machine „NDR“. „It is probably Lufthansa's only aircraft that we hope will not or rarely be used.“ In case of emergency, German helpers from West Africa should also be brought home. The long-haul aircraft will also be made available to other nations on emergency calls and is also reported to be suitable for transporting patients with other highly contagious infectious diseases.

More than 700 volunteers have contacted each other
According to Lufthansa, more than 700 pilots and flight attendants have already agreed to possible relief flights „on a voluntary basis“ to accompany. In addition to the crew, the machine has space for another 19 people, including doctors and technicians. According to Gröhe, the doctors and nurses come for possible transports from the Berlin Charité. The World Health Organization (WHO) has already recorded nearly 5,700 deaths from the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. Although there are hopeful reports of progress in drug development: so far there is neither a licensed vaccine nor a cure for Ebola. Patients will only be treated for typical Ebola symptoms. (Ad)