With the recent arrival of the Ebola virus onto European shores, Greek officials are pulling out all the stops to prevent any possible outbreaks of the epidemic within Greece. Today, Health Ministry officials are meeting with representatives of the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (KEELPNO) to discuss preventive measures. An Isolation Intensive Unit equipped to deal with Ebola infections has been set on high alert at Amalia Fleming Hospital in the Melissia suburb of northern Athens. The hospital is prepared to treat patients who may become infected in Greece. A specially trained group of Greek health workers are constantly updating their training and knowledge of the disease since first receiving scientific guidelines from health officials in early August. On Thursday, Greek Health Minister Makis Voridis told Antenna TV station that Greece has been ready to deal with the disease since the Ebola outbreak in West Africa five months ago. Mr. Voridis also said that directives have been sent to airports, ports and border crossings informing staff of the symptoms they should be looking for. Greek authorities are planning further drills over the coming days to check their degree of preparation. The announcement comes in the wake of six Ebola cases reported in Spain, the death of a 58-year-old British man – reportedly from Ebola – in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), as well as a possible case in the Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus. There have been no reported cases of Ebola in Greece thus far. Three cases which have been treated as suspected Ebola infections have turned out to be cases of malaria. At the same time, doctors and health associations have raised fears that Greece, along with other debt-stricken countries, is poorly equipped with supplies and personnel to deal with such an outbreak.
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