Relax. This list isn’t to meant frighten you into thinking Ebola has spread into a worldwide pandemic (yet). If anything, you might find comfort in learning most suspected cases of the deadly virus outside West Africa have been false alarms. It helps to know that many airlines, administrations and authorities have responsible protocols for handling suspicious symptoms. A “better safe than sorry approach” of tests and quarantines is a necessary inconvenience to prevent this scourge from advancing around the globe. Still, with all the international travel that occurs each day, we can expect possible Ebola incidents to increase beyond Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. Here are 8 recent Ebola scares that have occurred outside Africa. Don’t be surprised to find your country on the list.
1. Ebola Scares in Canada
Canada is experienced in containing epidemics, having been the center of the SARS outbreak back in 2003. Taking no chances, the country’s hospitals have been quick to respond to any patient potentially exposed to the virus. Individuals in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan who presented with fevers and flu-like symptoms after visiting West Africa have been isolated, tested and, thankfully, cleared of any Ebola suspicions.
2. Overreaction in Trinidad
The Caribbean is not immune to the Ebola threat, especially considering how many people travel in and out of the holiday region. However, their recent response to a minor Ebola concern was a little extreme. On August 7, 2014 Trinidad authorities were alerted by British Airways that a Nigerian doctor was en route to Piarco International Airport. Passengers and crew were not allowed to disembark until screened, and the man in question was taken into isolation. It turns out the man, who is married to a Trinidadian woman, hadn’t stepped foot in Africa for five years. While we applaud efforts to be responsive to potential cases, there shouldn’t be a panic about every West African national who steps on a plane.
3. German Job Center on Lock-Down
A young Nigerian woman collapsed while working at a Berlin job center in August. When it was revealed that she had had visited her homeland the week prior, her symptoms set off Ebola alarms. As a precautionary measure, the job center was put on lock-down. 600 people were detained and quarantined for several hours until authorities could assess the situation. All indications are that the patient does not, in fact, have Ebola. There is, however, one confirmed case in Germany. A Senegalese medic working at a WHO lab in Sierra Leone has just arrived at a Hamburg hospital for treatment.
4. Ebola Scares in India
India is taking steps to ensure airline passengers coming from affected West African nations are assessed before being released into the general population. All crew and passengers on two recent flights into Mumbai from Liberia and Nigeria were screened and cleared before anyone was allowed to exit the aircraft. Several passengers on a Delhi flight have been quarantined in Jogeshwari’s trauma hospital pending further tests. Dr M G Narahari from JSS Medical College says there is no need to panic over the Ebola virus, but believes the government has to take precautionary measures like these to prevent the spread of the disease.
5. Hong Kong On High Alert
Hong Kong has had two Ebola scares in two weeks. A Nigerian man on a trip to Hong Kong showed Ebola-like symptoms and was promptly quarantined. A woman who became ill after returning from a Kenyan vacation was also isolated. Both tested negative for the virus. Densely populated Hong Kong takes these threats seriously, especially after 300 people succumbed to SARS there a decade ago. On July 30, the government declared they would quarantine anyone coming from Ebola-infected regions who exhibit fever, vomiting or diarrhea symptoms.
6. UK Is Not Immune To Ebola Scares
Fears escalated when a 72 year old woman got off a flight from West Africa, collapsed at London’s Gatwick airport and died. Her fever and vomiting symptoms prompted authorities to test for Ebola, which were negative. Another scare just occurred when a 10 year old Nigerian girl became violently ill on a flight to Aberdeen, Scotland. Anxious passengers were detained for two hours until given the all-clear to disembark. The patient is now quarantined in hospital awaiting test results.
There is one confirmed case in the UK at present, but the prognosis is good. The first British man with a confirmed case of Ebola is recovering in a special isolation unit at London’s Royal Free Hospital. William Pooley, 29, became infected as a volunteer nurse in Sierra Leone. He’s one of the lucky few to survive the virus, which tends to have a 60 to 90 percent fatality rate.
7. Spain On Alert
Spain is on Ebola high alert in part because Spanish missionary Father Miguel Pajares, who was working in Liberia, died of the disease on August 12. Over 10 patients have been tested for Ebola in Bilbao, Barcelona and Madrid in recent months, according to the local health ministry. Most recently alert protocols were activated in Alicante after a man from Nigeria became ill will Ebola-like symptoms. All have tested negative and been given the all-clear.
8. Ebola Scares Hit the US
According to ABC News, American hospitals and labs have dealt with 68 Ebola cases in August alone. 27 states have been affected, including New Mexico, New York, Maryland, Ohio and California. Concerns are based on a combination of the patients’ travel histories and symptoms. 58 of these US Ebola scares were easily dismissed, 10 were sent for further blood testing, 7 of those have been given the all-clear, and 3 are still pending results. These numbers sound alarming, but the CDC says there is no significant risk to the U.S. public.
