Health workers are stationed at Dili’s Nicolau Lobatu Airport as well as on the Indonesian border with the aim of preventing the Ebola epidemic, which has killed thousands in Africa, from taking hold in Timor-Leste.
Health ministry national community health director Carlito Freitas Correia said a plan was in place to deal with the virus if necessary.
“Our system is ready and our health workers are prepared to respond to this situation, but so far we have not detected the virus,” he said.
He said the health ministry had worked with the World Health Organization (WHO) to provide training to health workers for the event of an outbreak in Timor-Leste.
“If it occurs, they know how to treat and quarantine the infected person,” he said.
Timor-Leste WHO representative Dr Jorge Mario Luna said the organization had provided technical support to the health ministry in the form of service guides, increased monitoring and laboratory facilities.
“We have delivered a case management guide and laboratory services and we’re also providing training for doctors and laboratory technicians in managing cases, collecting samples and keeping them quarantined as it can be very risky,” he said.
Dr Luna said while the likelihood of a Timor-Leste Ebola outbreak was slim, preparation was necessary.
“We’re taking advantage of this opportunity to strengthen our ability as a nation to respond to emergency outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Ebola or H1N1 that could spread to our country,” he said.
The virus has killed almost 5000 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and has been detected in Nigeria, Senegal, Spain and the USA.
Commission F (education, health, culture, veterans’ affairs and gender equality) member Eladio Faculto said preparation was essential as the health system in Timor-Leste was not strong enough to deal with a full-blown health epidemic.
“We are small country with various problems, particularly the functioning of hospitals and human resources therefore the health checks at the airport are very important,” he said.
