Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

Amid growing threat of Ebola virus around the world, Azerbaijan has decided to tighten measures to prevent its penetration into the country.

Along with the security measures on the customs checkpoints, the government has adopted new measures to protect health care workers against the virus.

Azerbaijan has purchased special hazmat suits and equipment as part of preventive measures against the Ebola virus, Deputy Director of the Republican Anti-Plague Station of the Azerbaijani Health Ministry Shair Gurbanov said.

As Gurbanov said 100 sets of these suits, as well as medical examination tests have been bought by the order of the Azerbaijani Health Ministry.

"If necessary, this number may increase," he said. "These special suits are designed for the station's laboratory personnel."

Gurbanov said disposable hazmat suits are currently available for health care workers in Azerbaijan, adding that unlike the present ones, the new suits have a high biosafety level, i.e. the level 3-4. The 4th biosafety level is the highest level.

The station's deputy director also said that Azerbaijan has all the conditions and equipment to conduct a laboratory research on the Ebola virus.

According to the latest Ebola Response Situation Report from World Health Organization (WHO), a total of 10,141 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of Ebola virus have been reported in five affected countries including Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Spain, and the United States of America and two previously affected countries such as Nigeria and Senegal.

The world's worst-ever Ebola outbreak has killed over 4,920 people so far.

The dangerous disease spreads only via direct contact through broken skin or mucous membranes with the blood, or other bodily fluids or secretions (stool, urine, saliva, semen) of infected people.

The incubation period of Ebola is maximum 21 days. People are infectious until their blood and secretions contain viruses, which lasts up to 60 days.

To protect yourself against the disease, it is necessary to observe personal hygiene.

Recently, WHO established the list of countries, which urgently should approve the national response plan in case of Ebola's penetration into their territory.

Some 14 countries have been included in the list, which have a common state border with the countries that are experiencing an epidemic and a high level of migration flows.