Scottish Government
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Ebola preparedness
Scottish Government Resilience Committee (SGoRR)
The Scottish Government Resilience Committee (SGoRR) met last night to discuss the latest developments in Scotland’s response to the Ebola outbreak in west Africa.
The meeting was attended by First Minister Alex Salmond, and Health Secretary Alex Neil, along with experts in infectious diseases from Health Protection Scotland and senior officials from the Scottish Government.
Ministers were updated on the latest situation in the three affected countries of Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. They were also given updates on how Scotland’s health service is preparing for a possible case, and steps being taken by the oil industry to protect workers who are returning from west Africa.
The First Minister said:
“The Scottish Government’s approach to Ebola is two-fold. First and foremost, we must make sure that Scotland is as prepared as possible to deal with the risk of an Ebola case appearing on our shores. Secondly, we must do all we can to help with the situation in west Africa to try and contain this infection and ultimately bring it under control. We have already donated £500,000 to help the World Health Organisation’s efforts to combat Ebola and we stand ready to provide further assistance as and when required.
“The risk of an Ebola case in Scotland remains low. However, we are far from complacent, and I am confident that Scotland’s health service is well prepared to deal with any suspected Ebola cases. We will continue to closely monitor the situation to ensure that all appropriate checks are in place to protect the people of Scotland.”
Mr Neil said:
“Scotland has four infectious disease centres which are ready to deal with any suspected cases of Ebola-type diseases. We have ensured that guidance has been issued to health professionals to ensure that they are well equipped to know how to deal with any suspected cases, and we are well stocked with all the necessary protective equipment.
“Scotland has dealt with infectious diseases in the past, including swine flu and a case of viral haemorrhagic fever, similar to Ebola, in 2012. I am fully confident that we have the systems and expertise in place to cope well in this instance if required.”
Background:
Find further information on the Health Protection Scotland website:
http://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/travel/publicationsdetail.aspx?id=60886
