Very few people can be unaware of the appalling humanitarian catastrophe that the Ebola virus has caused in parts of West Africa.
Total Care Removals, as a New Zealand relocation service and removals specialist, is occasionally asked for comments based upon potential removals to the countries affected.
Please remember that we are not qualified to offer medical advice and you should consult the government’s own websites for details but we will list our understanding here.
1. At the time of writing, the virus appears to be confined to a relatively small number of countries in West Africa. The relatively few number of cases outside of that area have arisen due to contact between health care providers and infected people that had arrived for treatment from the
countries concerned.
2. The World Health Organisation and the health authorities in the affected countries appear to be indicating that the spread of virus seems to finally be being contained.
3. Ebola is not airborne and can only be caught by direct contact with the bodily fluids of someone showing symptoms.
4. The risks of infection can be hugely reduced by avoiding those parts of the affected countries where the number of cases has been high, even if it now may well be plateauing.
5. If you are in one of the affected countries or have recently returned from one of them, you should be acutely aware of any symptoms of illness. There is currently some medical debate as to what those indications are but if you develop a high temperature, you should consult medical advice immediately.
6. There are some provisional field tests of an as yet unproven vaccine but again, at the time of writing, it appears as though it will be mid-to-late 2015 (at best) before there is any realistic prospect of mass vaccination being available.
Do please note again that we cannot offer you advice as to whether you should or should not travel to the affected countries. Speak to your doctor and the government’s medical health services to obtain qualified input to your decision.