Air and sea passengers arriving in Malta will, as from next week, be requested to fill in a passenger card stating whether they had been in Liberia, Guinea or Sierra Leone in the past 21 days.

Chris FearneChris Fearne

Addressing Parliament this evening, health Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne highlighted a number of measures being taken by Malta as part of its preparedness exercise for the Ebola virus.

He said that people caught giving incorrect information would be subject to criminal action. Passengers coming from one of the three named countries would be tested and kept under observation or in quarantine.

The Parliamentary Secretary also announced a national drill in preparation for Ebola in November.

The government was also following the European Commission’s work on exchange of information between member states regarding travel in the Schengen zone by people coming from affected countries.

Dr Fearne said that although every EU country had national competence on the matter, the EU was coordinating measures.

He said that Malta had set up an Ebola virus disease monitoring committee within the health ministry.

The committee was made up of stakeholders including health authorities, the police, the Civil Protection Department, the Armed Forces, detention centres, the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Opposition.

The committee was responsible for the implementation of measures in line with the Ebola disease action plan.

Dr Fearne said that the government had taken note of the Opposition’s proposals  this morning and would be placing them on the committee’s agenda for discussion during its next meeting tomorrow.

He said the international situation was being continuously monitored and the public were being kept informed through several media. Special guidelines for visitors to the affected zones or those coming from such zones had also been issued together with warnings to avoid non-essential travel to the affected countries.

Detailed preparation of operative procedures based on international practice, including about early identification of possible cases, transfer to Mater Dei, including from Gozo, testing and care of suspected or confirmed patients, burial and human contact with people suspected or confirmed to be carrying the disease, were drawn up.

A number of meetings were held with people responsible for points of entry to establish a procedure for early identification measures to be taken in the case of any eventuality.

Meetings between health professionals were being held weekly and the standard operating procedures were being continuously updated.

Possible scenarios were evaluated and training exercises were being carried out with all stakeholders. This training was ongoing and would intensify in the coming days and weeks.

Mr Fearne said the authorities worked closely with Malta International Airport and agreement was reached on action to be taken in the eventuality of a suspected case. There was also close collaboration with the maritime authorities on communication between vessels and the Valletta Port Control.

Clinics were set up at MIIA and the Freeport and these were equipped with all necessary equipment, including protective clothing.

The Parliamentary Secretary said that although the risk of an Ebola-carrying irregular immigrant arrived in Malta was small, preventive measures were still being taken.

So whenever there was a boat with people coming from the three affected countries or if this was unknown, they would be kept in quarantine for 21 days and their temperature would be taken daily. They would also be monitored for symptoms.

Contingency plans were also drawn up at all health stations, where protective clothing for all workers had been provided. Workers were informed how this clothing should be worn and removed. A committee to take care of all preparations in the department of primary care was set up and guidelines were issued.

In Gozo, an interim Ebola contingency plan was launched listing measures which should be taken in case of a suspected case. Two isolation rooms were identified. Upgrading works, including the installation of CCTV and other equipment, was being carried out.

Work at the Day Care Unit was concluded but that at the Emergency Department was still underway, Mr Fearne said.

He said that discussions had also taken place with Gozo Channel for the eventuality of a transfer of a patient suspected to be carrying the virus.

Mr Fearne said Mater Dei Hospital had started improving its infections capabilities from before WHO declared Ebola an international emergency. In the past months, an intensive effort was made aimed at strengthening the infrastructure, revising policy and procedures and acquiring personal protective clothing and intensive training for staff .

Patients suspected to be suffering from Ebola would be transferred to the Infectious Disease Unit through an isolated corridor on an isolator stretcher. The corridor, which was being reserved solely for such transfers, led to the Infections Disease Unit.

Two rooms at the IDO were modified to high standards for suspected cases. These had a ventilation system which changed the air 20 times per hour or every three minutes as well as CCTV monitoring. The ventilation system came with an uninterrupted power supply to ensure it remained in operation in case of a power cut.

Mater Dei, Mr Fearne said, appointed Charles Mallia Azzopardi, a consultant in infectious diseases, as the hospital focal point for Ebola preparedness.

Several measures were also taken at the emergency department. All patients were being tested for fever and asked whether they had been abroad. All requests for an ambulance were being researched and in case of suspicious calls a multi-disciplinary team made up of trained professionals were coordinating the response.

Mr Fearne said that courage and determination had to be seen in tackling the epidemic, which was serious and growing.

Preparations and responses to possible scenarious would continue to be developed in the coming days and weeks according to experts’ advice and the advice of European and international agencies.

“We are doing and we will continue to do all that is possible to give the people the best possible protection,” he said as he called for everyone’s cooperation.

At the end of his statement, the parliamentary secretary replied to questions by Opposition health spokesman Claudio Grech, government MPs Godfrey Farrugia and Marlene Farrugia and Opposition spokesmen Giovanna Debono, Jason Azzopardi, Robert Arrigo, Frederick Azzopardi.

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