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Ebola symptoms cleared for fishing boat crewmember

Local first responders, led by the Department of Health, quickly mobilized Wednesday morning on the north side of the main dock after receiving a report the day before that a fishing vessel was enroute to American Samoa with a crewmember showing symptoms of the deadly Ebola disease.

 

Although the fisherman ended up being cleared of Ebola, the mobilization also tested how ASG would react to a call when there is a vessel heading to the Port of Pago Pago with a persons suspected of having Ebola.

 

In a statement yesterday afternoon, DoH said it received word Tuesday of an ill person on a fishing vessel. Through travel investigation and Ebola response protocols, the DoH was able to rule out Ebola as a possible illness of the crew member.

 

As the DoH Ebola Emergency Response Team was already mobilized Wednesday morning, it was decided to follow through with full containment and response sequences for this case to evaluate local response, the statement says.

 

All containment and response measures were deployed and the patient was safely moved from the vessel and transferred over to EMS for transport and treatment at LBJ, it says, adding that DoH is currently reviewing the observation and doing an assessment for future exercises.

 

DoH assured the public that it’s monitoring all illnesses in the region and are actively working and testing local Ebola response.

 

“We would also like to alleviate concerns by confirming that there is no suspected Ebola case within the territorial borders or within our Pacific region,” DoH said. “We are continuing to work with our partners in defense and protection of the territory from health related issues.”

 

DoH thanked Port Administration, EMS and LBJ hospital in their unwavering support and assistance during this exercise.

 

If there are any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to call our Ebola/Chikungunya 24 hour hotline at 731-7511.