ILLAWARRA and Shoalhaven hospitals are well equipped to deal with a case of suspected Ebola virus, according to the state’s director of communicable diseases.
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Dr Vicky Sheppeard said while Westmead Hospital was the designated hospital for the treatment of Ebola in NSW, the emergency departments at regional hospitals were prepared to deal with cases.
“If a person attended the emergency department of, say Wollongong or Shellharbour hospitals, with symptoms they would be immediately isolated,” Dr Sheppeard said.
“All emergency departments have an isolation room, and as the Ebola virus is not airborne then other patients and staff would be protected.
“Then emergency staff, in the full protective gear which is standard at all hospitals, would question the patient about the exposure they’ve had and the symptoms they’re displaying.”
Dr Sheppeard said staff at local hospitals would then consult with clinicians at Westmead Hospital and the Public Health Unit to assess how to manage the case.
This may result in transportation to Westmead, or further isolation and testing may be carried out at the local hospital.
Dr Sheppeard said NSW Health was continually updating its contingency plan for viral haemorrhagic fevers, including Ebola as the crisis unfolds in Africa.
As well as liaising with the state’s hospitals, other healthcare providers such as GPs, paramedics and pathology services were being kept up to date.
However, she urged anyone who had travelled recently to affected regions and was displaying symptoms to head to their local ED rather than their GP.
“Emergency departments are best equipped to deal with this – they have the training and the most up-to-date information about Ebola,” she said.