What to do in cases of suspected infection

The Robert Koch Institute in Germany has drawn up the following guidelines for diagnosing Ebola:

The patient has a fever (body temperature exceeds 38.5°C) or is running a temperature (body temperature exceeds 37.5°C), diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting.

AND one of the following criteria applies:

The patient

• came into contact with someone with Ebola, someone suspected of having Ebola or someone who died of Ebola in the 21 days prior to the first symptoms.

OR

• worked in a laboratory, hospital or similar environment where they might have had direct contact with infected individuals or their blood and body fluids in the 21 days prior to the first symptoms.

OR

• either lived in or visited one of the countries experiencing an epidemic of Ebola (Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, DRC) in the 21 days prior to the first symptoms AND consumed bushmeat such as fruit bats or monkeys, or otherwise came into contact with them.

If these criteria apply, the person should immediately talk to a doctor and inform their district health office. Ebola hotlines have been set up in the countries where the virus is epidemic. When someone with suspected Ebola gets in touch, staff decide how and where they can be examined and treated. Giving the health authorities and doctors detailed, honest answers is crucial. The earlier the disease is diagnosed, the better the chances of the patient’s survival.

By this point at the very latest, the infected person must avoid all bodily contact with others, such as shaking hands, kissing and sex.

Samples of blood, saliva and urine taken from humans must be taken to suitably equipped, high-security laboratories for confirmation of an Ebola infection.