Ebola test shows authorities getting serious about threat

There may have been eerie scenes around Dublin’s Mater hospital during yesterday’s test of the National Isolation Unit’s ability to cope with a case of Ebola, but at least it showed the authorities are getting serious about the threat posed.

Such “dry runs” are an essential part of a country’s preparations for an outbreak of a contagious disease such as Ebola, and most of our neighbours have already gone through similar exercises.

Far better a planned exercise that results in a few streets being blocked off than the confusion caused during last week's overreaction to the case of a woman who had developed a fever after returning from Nigeria.

Although there was nothing more than a theoretical possibility the woman had Ebola – Nigeria had fewer than 20 cases in a population of 170 million and had that very day been declared free of the disease – the woman was transported to the unit by paramedics in protective suits and led by a full Garda escort.

The incident provoked some measure of panic, however unjustified, among communities in west Dublin and it was never made clear who had cordoned off the streets around the hospital.

It was also provided a reminder of just how little privacy there is in this world of instant messaging and “citizen journalism”, as the convoy was photographed at various stages along its route to the hospital and these pictures were then shared widely on the internet.

So it will be, inevitably and notwithstanding the requirements of patient confidentiality, should there be a confirmed case of Ebola in Ireland.

After the completion of yesterday's test, the Mater said the integration of the services involving the hospital, the ambulance service, Dublin Fire Brigade and the Garda "worked seamlessly". A spokesman said no further exercises were planned "for the time being".

A media strategy will be almost as important as a medical strategy should that eventuality arise. Even before then, it is as important to tell the public that safety precautions are being put in place, as to actually put them in place.

This is why the test exercise has a wider value than simply helping emergency staff familiarise themselves with their routines.

Other European countries have opened up their test and treatment facilities to the media in order to provide reassurance to the public about the measures in place. Yet in Ireland, the parts of the health service which would form the frontline against Ebola, particularly the NIU, remain hidden from view. This seems a mistake.

Overall, though, the Irish authorities appear to have got the balance right so far in responding to the threat of Ebola.

Key groups – GPs, ambulance workers, staff at ports and airports etc – have been issued with guidelines and protective equipment distributed. Specific guidelines apply to higher-risk groups, such as the small number of people returning from the worst affected states in west Africa.

Minister for Health Leo Varadkar has employed his communication gifts to provide reassurance.

There was some initial confusion over what people with relevant symptoms and travel history should do, but it now clear they should contact their GP by phone rather than calling in personally. Critics will inevitably say there isn’t enough clarity and not enough protective equipment, but the measures taken are proportionate to the risk currently posed.

It would be foolish to waste scarce resources in the health service in an unjustified manner or to replace one problem with a bigger one. Only a few years ago, the State was forced to dump unused stockpiles of swine flu vaccine costing millions of euros; the same vaccine has been linked to cases of narcolepsy among some who received it.