Cyprus has protocols in place to deal with Ebola cases and would follow established procedures in the event of an infection, epidemiologist Petros Karayiannis said on Saturday.

Speaking to CNA about the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, Karayiannis said Cyprus had previously implemented protocols for such cases and would activate them again if necessary.

Asked how authorities would respond to an imported case, he stressed that the priority would be the immediate isolation of the suspected patient and the implementation of strict biosecurity measures.

“What is important is the complete isolation of the suspected case and the implementation of biosecurity measures to protect doctors, nurses and the general population, so that there is no further spread,” he said.

Karayiannis explained that Ebola is transmitted “only through very close contact with bodily fluids such as saliva, tears, urine, faeces and blood.”

Outside Central Africa, where outbreaks occur periodically, any cases would likely be “imported”, he said.

“This is where we need to be cautious. People arriving from affected countries should undergo thorough screening regarding their travel history and the places they visited, to determine whether they may have been exposed,” he said.

Karayiannis added that the current outbreak appears more serious than some previous outbreaks.

“The strain responsible for the current outbreak has caused one or two outbreaks in the past and is associated with a more aggressive form of the disease,” he said.

He noted that there is currently no vaccine available for this particular strain and that treatment depends largely on managing the symptoms.

At this stage, he said, prevention remains the most important tool.