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Issue no. 260
Friday 17th - Thursday 23rd October 2014
Ecce Homo The road less Hook Jesus at the Everyman travelled uncorked George Hook Page 84
Page 69
on the budget. Page 13
‘It’s important that we are prepared’ Buttimer: “we must take Ebola seriously” By Maria Tracey maria@thecorknews.ie
Preparations for tackling Ebola must now be stepped up, according to the Cork TD chairing the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children. Jerry Buttimer said that while Ireland is low risk, the nation needs to take the threat seriously: “I think it’s important that we are prepared nonetheless, and that there are protocols followed,” he said, adding there are also pathways to care that need to be “followed and implemented”. Deputy Buttimer echoed the opinion of Minister for Health Leo Varadkar at a Joint Oireachtas Committee that as the situation escalates, Ireland most also escalate its response to the Ebola threat. “The issue needs to be taken seriously,
as do concerns of health care workers,” he said. The World Health Organisation has warned there could be 10,000 new cases of Ebola per week within two months, following an unprecedented spread of the virus across West Africa. This week it emerged that a different strain of the virus has also been detected in The Democratic Republic of Congo. Deputy Buttimer stated that there is a “plan in place”, covering a number of departments including the Department of Defence, Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Health. “We are prepping for a range of scenarios, be it the potential repatriation of an Irish citizen who has contracted the disease abroad, or the treatment of somebody who has presented to a hospital after travelling from an affected region.” The Cork South-Central Fine Gael TD outlined that
there has been a series of meetings held with task forces to ensure the country is prepared. Deputy Buttimer stated that, relating to the issue of repatriation, “each case is dealt with individually”. “In some cases they may not be able to travel; secondly, the best care may be in the country in question; and thirdly maybe if you do bring them back home, there will be a question of bringing infection into the country,” he said. However, Deputy Buttimer added that as, Health Minster Leo Varadkar said, the government “cannot countenance the idea of leaving an Irish citizen uncared for”. “Every consideration will be given to what is the best treatment, whether it’s on the ground of the country or whether it makes more sense to bring them home,” he said. continued on page 2
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