Spread of Ebola to Belgium is "unlikely scenario", says expert

As a precautionary measure, the Superior Health Council has sent guidelines to all hospitals and doctors in Belgium on how to deal with patients who have the Ebola virus. In West Africa, the worst Ebola epidemic ever has caused the deaths of more than 700 people and is spreading fast.

“The danger for Belgium is very limited,” emphasised professor Steven Callens, a Ghent University specialist in infectious diseases, in De Morgen. Callens is one of the authors of the guidelines, which explain how to recognise the symptoms of an Ebola infection and how to react, including quarantine, protective clothing for staff and transport the patient to a specialised centre. These so-called Highly Infectious Disease Centres are located in London, Rome and Hamburg.

Belgian medical institutions are knowledgeable about “prevalent infectious diseases, but Ebola isn’t one of them,” explained Callens. 

It is unlikely that infected travellers would arrive on a plane in Belgium because people from afflicted areas, such as Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, “are screened at the place of departure,” explained Callens, “and passengers with a fever normally can’t get on the plane. If a fever is noticed during the flight, the flight staff is instructed to isolate the patient as soon as possible.” Those suffering from the Ebola virus would also normally be too sick to travel, he said.