A ship carrying at least one crew member suspected of having the deadly Ebola virus was barred from entering Malta’s harbours, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat revealed yesterday.
The patient was later taken off the ship in Sicily, nearly 24 hours after the alarm was raised with the Maltese authorities.
The Hong Kong-registered merchant vessel Western Copenhagen was travelling from Guinea to Ukraine when it requested assistance from the Maltese authorities on Wednesday night.
The government said a crew member, a Filipino national, was suffering from symptoms associated with the virus which has plagued Western Africa. There are indications of at least one other suspected case on board, but the merchant ship last night continued on its voyage to Ukraine, a government spokesman said.
Our decision [to stop the ship] is morally and legally correct- Joseph Muscat
“Our decision [to stop the ship] is morally and legally correct,” Dr Muscat told an informal editorial conference at Auberge de Castille, flanked by the country’s top officials.
Times of Malta is informed that the first time the captain noticed the symptoms was on Monday night, when the vessel was close to Algeria. He made contact with the Italian authorities who advised him to dock at the first port of call.
However, the ship kept steaming ahead towards Malta and on Wednesday at 8pm the ship captain called the Maltese port authorities for medical assistance. It was located 40 miles from Sicily, and 83 miles from Malta.
It was not clear at first what medical attention was needed but the Maltese authorities realised that the patient’s symptoms were associated with Ebola.
While on board, the patient was given medication, including antibiotics.
This ship was ordered not to enter Maltese waters while the Armed Forces shadowed it for hours.
“We are lacking information. We can’t say if the captain is understating or overstating the issue,” Dr Muscat said.
The Prime Minister explained that a decision to stop the ship from entering Maltese waters was taken following consultation with all the authorities, including the Attorney General.
International conventions state that countries are obliged to help individuals in need of assistance, but they also specify exceptions if the country’s health systems or national security could be breached.
“It could be a false alarm, but we are morally correct to take this decision because we cannot endanger our health system, especially when we don’t know the magnitude of the problem,” Dr Muscat said.
We can’t say if captain is understating or overstating the issue- Prim Minister
The Maltese government shared the necessary information with other countries, who were “definitely” better equipped than Malta to handle such situations.
Health Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne said a contingency plan to tackle any potential Ebola case has been put in place at Mater Dei Hospital since May, when the crisis in sub-Saharan African erupted.
Doctors have been given a fact sheet on procedures and a number to call if they see patients with suspect symptoms. Officials at ports and airports have been instructed to notify the health authorities about any sick people entering Malta.
The virus spreads by contact with infected blood and bodily fluids.
Hospitals and clinics in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the countries hit hardest by the outbreak, are overwhelmed by what the World Health Organisation is calling the deadliest Ebola outbreak in history. The virus has killed at least 2,400 people, and thousands more are infected. Cases have also been reported in Nigeria and Senegal.