Kuwait is well-poised to deal with Ebola, if necessary

KUNA

Although the Ministry of Health has assured the public that the country is free from the Ebola virus, it nevertheless has taken ample steps to confront the virus should it appear in one way or another.

For instance, the Ministry conducts tests on all passengers and visitors, showing signs of ill health, entering Kuwait from Ebola-stricken countries by quarantining them and examining them case by case and treating them accordingly, should that be necessary.

Those who do not show signs of ill health who enter the country coming from the Ebola-stricken regions will be admitted to Kuwait with the provision that they would be under the watch of the ministry of health for a period of at least 21 days.

Moreover, the Ministry advises all residents in the country to avoid traveling to areas known to have the Ebola virus, emphasizing at the same time that it has prepared quarantine facilities, in conjunction with appropriate state agencies, to address any health contingencies resulting from the appearance of the Ebola virus in the country.
The Ministry is also vehemently spreading awareness among the public regarding this deadly disease whose death rate is upwards of 90 percent, through posting information about it on its twitter account and its internet website and through distribution of pamphlets and flyers on the proper ways to deal with this disease.

In that regard, the ministry has invited experts from the WHO to assess the ministry's steps in preventing the occurrence of this disease in Kuwait.

Regarding the symptoms of the Ebola virus, chief of media awareness of communicable diseases at the Ministry of Health Dr. Ghalia Al-Mutairi told KUNA that the symptoms resemble those of influenza. Signs and symptoms of Ebola usually begin suddenly with an influenza-like stage characterized by fatigue, fever, headaches, joint, muscle and abdominal pain. Vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite are also common. Less common symptoms include the following: sore throat, chest pain, hiccups, shortness of breath and trouble swallowing, said Dr. Al-Mutairi.

No licensed vaccine for the disease is available, she said although several vaccines are being tested, but none are available for clinical use.

The important thing is that no specific treatment is available, however new drug therapies are being evaluated, she said.

To prevent contracting this disease, chief of communicable diseases at the Ministry of Health Dr. Musaab Al-Saleh advises not traveling to Ebola-stricken countries and paying extra attention to personal hygiene.

Ebola first appeared in 1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks, in Nzara, Sudan, and in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter was in a village situated near the Ebola River, from which the disease takes its name.
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