It isn’t likely to happen, but North Bay Regional Health Centre has already taken precautions against ebola arriving in the city.
In fact they’ve already held a mock scenario with staff to make sure proper processes are being followed.
“We’ve been working on it since it became an international concern,” Patty Byers, the Manager of Infection Prevention and Control told BayToday.
“It’s ever evolving.”
The World Health Organization declared Ebola a public health emergency of international concern on August 8.
Patients are being screened when they come into the emergency department to identify if they have been to one of the outbreak areas and if they display any symptoms.
“If identified, said Byers, “they are isolated and nurses put on personal protective equipment when caring for patients.”
“This is something new for them (staff). I don’t think anyone thought we’d have to be worried about ebola coming to Canada. They want to know they are going to be safe and what they are doing is going to protect them. The staff are engaged. They want to know they are doing the right thing.”
Public Health Ontario issues guidelines to be followed when dealing with ebola patients, and these are being constantly updated.
“There is support out there", says Byers,"It doesn’t mean we’ll be handling this on our own."
Byers said it is important that when patients that come to the hospital that they self-identify if they have travelled to infected countries in the past three weeks and if they feel unwell.
She suggests that patients that fit that profile phone ahead so the hospital can be prepared.
Signs are posted in the emergency department.
A total of 10 Ontario patients have been tested in the province for possible Ebola infection, and all of these patients have tested negative.
There are no confirmed cases of Ebola Virus Disease in Ontario.
