BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — The Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) say they are mobilising teams of experts in outbreak alert and response to help member states in Latin America and the Caribbean ensure they are prepared for any potential introduction of Ebola virus disease (EVD).

PAHO/WHO missions will visit member countries over the next two months to assess countries’ levels of preparedness to detect, treat and control the spread of any potential imported case of Ebola.

A PAHO/WHO statement said the missions, in coordination with national health authorities, will assess gaps and make recommendations for addressing them, and PAHO/WHO will provide follow-up technical cooperation based on individual countries’ needs.

In addition, PAHO/WHO experts and experts from the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network will be deployed if an imported case of Ebola is identified in any member country, to assist national health authorities in implementing their EVD response plans.

No cases of Ebola have been reported in Latin America or the Caribbean to date. However, “the risk of an imported case in the region is real,” said Dr Marcos Espinal, director of PAHO/WHO’s Department of Communicable Diseases and Health Analysis.

“It is important that our countries’ health systems be prepared to respond quickly to cases of Ebola and make sure it does not spread.”

The PAHO/WHO said that to be prepared for a potential case of Ebola, countries need to have the ability to detect a patient with symptoms.

They said healthcare workers must be familiar with screening criteria, including symptoms and history of travel/exposure, and know when to isolate patients.

“They also need to know how to protect themselves from exposure to the virus in the course of their work. Health officials need to know how to prepare and send medical specimens for testing and which laboratories are able to diagnose Ebola. Ministry officials must know how and when to carry out contact tracing.”

The two UN agencies say they are working closely with member countries to ensure they have the necessary policies, procedures and human resource capacity in place to manage any introduction of Ebola.

PAHO/WHO’s work in this area has included a series of virtual and face-to-face training sessions on preparedness, risk communication and logistics, as well as the dissemination of norms and guidelines on infection control, use of personal protective equipment (PPE), collection and management of samples with highly pathogenic agents, disease surveillance, and laboratory procedures.