Winnipeg ready to deal with potential Ebola cases, say health authorities – CP

Source: The Canadian Press
Oct 14, 2014 22:38

WINNIPEG _ Health authorities say Winnipeggers should rest assured that there is a plan to deal with a potential case of Ebola.

The Winnipeg Fire and Paramedic Service has announced that special paramedic crews are now available to respond to a possible case of the deadly disease.

The service, along with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, says it has dedicated 12 staff per shift to deal with potential Ebola cases in the city.

Acting assistant fire chief Tom Wallace and medical director Robert Grierson say the plan is to limit the potential exposure of Ebola to eight specific paramedics and four supervisors working per shift.

An additional 600 staff are being trained, but the plan is to have the same crews respond to possible or suspected calls.

But United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg president Alex Forrest says the city is not ready to deal with the disease that has killed 3,300 people in Africa and one man in Texas since March.

Forrest said his members have concerns over Ebola policies presented by the WRHA and the city to the union last Friday. He cited problems with the potential outbreak, including identification of possible symptoms and quarantine procedures should members become exposed in the city.

With flu season approaching _ the initial symptoms of Ebola are similar to influenza (fever, headaches, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea) _ it makes every Winnipeg fire or paramedic call a possible exposure to Ebola, Forrest said.

“What happens when (Ebola) happens _ it could happen in an hour where we get a person from one of the identified countries who has a high fever,” Forrest said. “We have to quarantine that person. I don’t know if they’ve made any arrangements of where they’re going to send that person.”

Health officials stressed Tuesday that proper procedures and protocols are in place.

“We’ve also set up a mechanism where (a special paramedic) unit can consult with a physician to assist with the screening as to whether this is likely to be Ebola or it’s something else,” said Helen Clark, the WRHA’s chief of emergency response and patient transport.

During flu season, 911 dispatchers will determine Ebola risk through a series of questions that include whether the patient has a high fever and whether he or she travelled to the Ebola-affected region of West Africa or came into contact with people who have done so.

If there is a risk, or if risk cannot be determined, the case will be flagged for treatment by one of the ambulance crews designated to handle Ebola cases.

Firefighters won’t be part of the primary response to Ebola, though all 600 fire-paramedic staff trained as paramedics, including some 300 firefighters, will receive some form of Ebola-response training, Clark said.

But if firefighter crews were to respond to someone who complained of symptoms consistent with the virus, authorities recommend that they, like other staff who have yet to receive special training, take a “no-touch approach” where they distance themselves at least two metres from the patient and then call in the special response unit.