WHO: Workshop on Assessment of Preparedness Measures for Ebola Virus Disease in Libya

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10 Dec 2014

WHO: Workshop on Assessment of Preparedness Measures for Ebola Virus Disease in Libya

Zarzis, Tunisia, 8-10 December 2014 - Following the decision taken WHO’s Sixty-first Session of the Regional Committee in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to support Member States to assess of the level of preparedness and readiness measures for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), WHO Office in Libya organized a workshop in Zarzis, Tunisia, 8-10 December 2014. The workshop was launched by the Director of the Libyan National Centre for Diseases Control, Dr. Badreddine Alnajjar, and the WHO Representative for Libya, Dr. John Jabbour.Fourteen experts from across Libya implemented the consolidated EVD checklist developed by the WHO, and identified the existing gaps.

To better cover these critical gaps, further technical support is needed in the following functions to enhance the level of readiness to mitigate any possible cases of EVD in Libya:

1) Strengthening vigilance of health authorities at the points of entry to identify and promptly isolate any suspected case;

2) Strengthening surveillance and contact tracing;

3) Promoting Infection control precautions related to EVD;

4) Using the appropriate Personal Protection Equipment (PPE); and

5) Establishing risk communication mechanisms involving the community and the relevant non-health sectors.