Health Ministry to tighten procedures to deal with Ebola

Signaling a tacit admission of failure to observe procedures to control the spread of Ebola, Spain’s health minister said yesterday that all protocols for dealing with the infectious disease are to be revised. Addressing Congress on Thursday, Ana Mato gave no details of any improvements to lawmakers, but issued a statement afterwards noting that health authorities would “take measures to tackle the Ebola virus that go beyond EU recommendations.”

Teresa Romero, a 44-year-old nurse, has been in isolation at the Carlos III Hospital in Madrid since October 6, after being diagnosed with the virus. A further 50 or so people are being monitored in their homes after coming into close contact with Romero, and are having their temperatures checked twice a day.

Romero was part of a medical team that treated two Spanish missionaries with Ebola, who had been brought back to Spain from Sierra Leone and Liberia. Both died in the hospital. Romero is reported to have entered into the room of one of the missionaries, Manuel García Viejo, on two occasions: once to change his diaper and sheets, and again to clean up the room after he died.

On October 7, the government set up a commission made up of senior Health Ministry officials, headed by Mato, to investigate what went wrong, but so far it has said nothing.

Mato told Congress only that from now on there would be daily monitoring of anybody known or suspected to have come into contact with Ebola victims, and that even minor increases in body temperature would be taken as a likely sign of their being infected.

At the same time, tighter supervision will take place in hospitals when staff are removing protective body suits. Romero is believed to have become infected while removing her suit when she brushed a glove against her face. Closed circuit television cameras are also likely to be installed in isolation units.

Mato is due to meet with regional health officials to discuss standardizing procedures throughout Spain’s largely devolved healthcare administrations.

Mato was careful not to admit directly to any breaches of World Health Organization procedures in dealing with Ebola, telling lawmakers that there was little risk of further contagion, and promising to keep the public informed of any developments.

Opposition parliamentarians were highly critical of the government’s handling of the Ebola crisis. Mato replied by saying that Spain had followed EU procedures, but that she would be contacting Brussels, and that protocols were to be toughened throughout the EU.

Mato is believed to have suggested to party spokespeople that failure by hospital staff to observe procedures was likely to blame for Romero becoming infected.

Conxita Tarruella, health spokeswoman for Catalan nationalist party CiU, chided Mato after the meeting, saying: “It is not fair, if something has failed, to put the blame on [Romero]. She must never be seen as being responsible for what happened.”

The Socialist Party called on Mato to set up a security committee, to appoint a single spokesperson, and to undertake a detailed and transparent investigation into what happened, as well as keeping the public informed of any developments.