WHO employee: Ebola patient comes to Hamburg

At Ebola of gotten sick WHO employees is to be treated in Hamburg. In the university clinic everything is preparatory, confirmed a spokesman of the health authority. The patient is to arrive on this Wednesday.

Hamburg - an Ebola patient from west Africa is expected on Wednesday in Hamburg. The employee of the World Health Organization (WHO), gotten sick, is to be treated in the university hospital in Hamburg Eppendorf, said the spokesman that to Hamburg health authority, Rico Schmidt. According to information the WHO concerns it with the patient an epidemiologist originating from Senegal. The special jet with the patient on board is expected in this Wednesday morning at the airport. There he is taken over by an isolation ambulance of the fire-brigade. The appropriate places are preparatory”, explained Schmidt. At the end of July had already inquired the World Health Organization with the university clinic Hamburg Eppendorf (UKE) whether an employee of a health organization could be cared for there. The physician had however died, before he could be brought to the treatment to Germany.

The Ebola epidemic concerns not only the population ever more frequently locally, but also the physicians and aides. On Tuesday reacted the WHO drastically: After one of its medical aides had infected itself with the dangerous virus, the organization recalled its further employees from Kailahun in the east Sierra Leones. Altogether with the Ebola epidemic in west Africa according to WHO so far more than 240 physicians, male nurses and other aides were infected. More than 120 from them died, communicated the organization on Tuesday in Geneva. For the high infection rate among the aides there are therefore some reasons. Often the equipment with protection equipment is insufficient such as special clothes, gumshield or gloves. Besides many aides are locally completely overtaxed with the chaotic situation, which increases the infection risk. “Overloaded staff is more susceptible to errors”, explained the WHO.