NCDC claims there is no Ebola threat
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Monday, October 13
Georgia’s National Centre for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) claims that there is no threat of spreading Ebola virus in Georgia.
NCDC chairman Aleksandre Gamkrelidze states that 13 students are being observed in Georgia regarding the virus. Most of the student are from Nigeria.
Gamkrelidze states there is only a theoretical chance that the virus could affect Georgia, as Georgia has practically has no direct contact with the states suffering from the deadly disease. He also states that in August more than 20 people were being observed. However, all of them turned out to be healthy.
Gamkrelidze says that despite the minimal chances of contracting the illness, an action plan has been created in the case the virus appears.
There are cases of Ebola in Europe as well.
People can catch Ebola if they are in direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or animal. Early symptoms include fever, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding, sometimes from the eyes and mouth. The current outbreak started in March in West Africa, where the worst-affected countries include Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. There is no licensed Ebola vaccine but treatments are in development.
The Ebola crisis has resulted in the activation of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters. Its normal role is to provide satellite imagery to make damage and hazard-assessment
Senate elections due next week have been postponed to help reduce the risk of voters spreading the virus.
Nigeria's military has confirmed that more than 1,300 Nigerian peacekeeping troops have been quarantined in Liberia after coming into contact with a Sudanese man who later died of the disease. It had earlier denied such reports.
The first case of Ebola was detected in Spain.
Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy has set up a special committee to deal with the impact of Europe's first case of Ebola.
Rajoy admitted that the situation was "complex and difficult", but stressed that the government had a clear plan of what needed to be done.
Spanish nurse Teresa Romero is said to be gravely ill, after catching hemorrhagic fever while caring for patients brought from West Africa.
The outbreak has killed more than 3,860 people, mainly in West Africa.
More than 200 health workers are among the victims.
