Ebola In Italy: Three more quanrantined

Ebola In Italy: Three more quanrantined

Italian authorities confirmed on Wednesday in Rome that the nurse who tested
positive for the Ebola virus after returning from Sierra Leone was admitted to a
specialised hospital in Rome, while three people who came into contact with him
were quarantined.
Dr Emanuele Nicastri of the Spallanzani hospital, who specialised in highly
infectious diseases, said at a press conference that the nurse was overnight
transfer to Rome by the Italian air force.
He said the 37-year-old from Sardinia returned home on Friday, and felt the first
symptoms of the disease two days later, after his blood sample tested positive for
the often fatal virus.
“At the time of admission, the patient was feverish, alert and cooperative,” he
said.
Meanwhile, Luigi Arru, the Regional Alderman for Health, said three people were
placed under quarantine in Sassari, at the hospital where the Ebola patient was
first taken in on Monday.
“Healthcare workers of the Hospital in Sassari, who examined the patient, were
well equipped with personal protective equipment and are now under surveillance,
as well as the close contacts of the case,” he said.
“The risk of contagion is negligible, the staff that dealt with the patient are highly
specialised and equipped,” he added.
He said they were optimistic that the disease had not spread.
The WHO said the unnamed patient worked in Sierra Leone for the Emergency
medical charity.
It said the patient flew from Freetown to Rome via Casablanca, adding it was not
necessary to screen other passengers because he developed symptoms more
than 72 hours after the last flight.
It was the second Ebola case to be treated in Italy, and the first detected on
national territory.
More than 11,000 people have died from Ebola in West Africa, where the outbreak
has been subsiding.
However, Liberia was declared Ebola-free on Saturday, but the disease was still
present in Guinea and Sierra Leone.