CARPHA said it remains in close contact with its regional and international partners regarding the outbreak in order to provide support to CARPHA Member States.

CARPHA said there have not been any cases of Ebola in the Caribbean, and the overall risk assessment for the Caribbean region remains low.

It said that ccontinued monitoring of the situation will be conducted by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), pointing out that the levil of risk may change as new information becomes available.

CARPHA said the public health risk posed by Ebola virus disease (EVD) to the Caribbean region, and its people, is considered low based on available information at this time.

“Ccontinued monitoring of the situation will be conducted by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) to guide the adoption of effective control measures by national authorities,” said CARPHA.

The statement noted that the Ebola virus can spread through derect contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with blood or bodily fluids or tissues of infected animals or infected persons; indirect contact with medical equipment (such as needles) and other fomites and environments that are contaminated with infected bodily fluids.

The amplification of transmission of EVD in the human population primarily occurs in relation
to funerals of infected individuals, in health care settings and among health care workers in particular, and among close contacts of infected individuals.

This provides good evidence of human-to-human transmission via the methods described above.

Together with meticulous case detection and contact tracing, the adoption and strict application of standard infection prevention and control precautions, and contact precautions by those providing direct care to patients or handling bodies, are the cornerstone to minimize the risk for further human to human transmission, should a case of EVD occur.

CARPHA pointed out further that with reference to previous viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks, the international spread of EVD through long distance travel from the outbreak area to a non-endemic country has historically been an exceptionally rare event, and has never involved the Caribbean.