BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — Barbados has already rolled out a contingency plan to prevent or, in the worst case, contain any cases of Ebola Virus Disease on the island.
Speaking to the press today, Minister of Health John Boyce revealed that environmental health officers and Port Health nurses have already stepped up surveillance at the island’s ports of entry, while the Ministry continues to monitor the Ebola outbreak in Central and West Africa.
The Minister’s press conference comes days after the full Cabinet was briefed by technocrats from the Health Ministry on their plans in relation to dealing with the Ebola crisis.
While stating that Barbados had a sound public health system capable of containing any cases of infectious disease, the Minister cautioned Barbadians to defer all but absolutely essential travel to West Africa. At the same time, the Ministry is rolling out sensitization and training exercises for healthcare workers to equip them with the skills needed to protect themselves and the public in the event of an outbreak.
The Ministry has also distributed guidelines for travellers and workers at ports of entry on the avoidance and containment of Ebola cases.
