The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment says it is continuing to ensure that measures are in place for early detection, immediate isolation and containment of the Ebola viral disease, in the event that it comes to these shores, and to prevent its spread, and ensure clinical management and contact tracing.
The Ministry has however made it clear that the risk of Ebola being transported to St Vincent and the Grenadines remains low.
The Ministry says it has discontinued the use of the questionnaires which passengers were required to complete on arrival at ports of entry.
However, public health nurses remain on duty at the E T Joshua Airport and officers of the Passport and Immigration Department are maintaining their vigilance.
In September of last year, the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment implemented the use of the questionnaire for all passengers entering St. Vincent and the Grenadines as part of its public health surveillance strategy in the preparedness and response to the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Simone Keizer-Beache says that in keeping with global developments surrounding the outbreak and the Ministry’s assessment of the public health yield from the information gathered by these questionnaires, the Ministry, with the support of key stakeholders, took the decision to discontinue the use of the questionnaire.
Dr. Keizer-Beache adds that public health surveillance will continue at all ports of entry and public health staff will continue to be deployed at strategic points throughout the country.
