The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment met this week with owners and representatives of funeral homes to sensitise them on the management and safe disposal of bodies in the event of an Ebola virus outbreak in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The Ministry has been advised that the handling of bodies of individuals who died from Ebola should be limited and that there should be no manipulation of the corpses, that is, no autopsies should be performed, no consideration should be given to having bodies embalmed, and no opportunity should be provided for viewing.
Dr. Franklyn James, registrar in the Department of Primary Health Care and Member of the National Surveillance Committee, speaking to the representatives of the funeral homes during the meeting, stated that while recognizing the existence of deep-seated funeral rituals and burial practices in different cultural and religious contexts, ensuring safe disposal of dead bodies must be considered critical to limit the spread of the Ebola Virus.
The Ministry’s other representatives present at the meeting offered that personnel engaged in the management and disposal of dead bodies should use personal protective equipment at all times when handling dead bodies, including gloves, aprons, overalls, fluid resistant gowns, surgical masks, eye protection gear and closed shoes, with support provided by environmental health officers.
The ministry is continuing to engage other stakeholders as part of its preparedness plan for the management of the Ebola virus. Members of the National Surveillance Committee also engaged officers of the Passports and Immigration Department and officials of the four Schools of Medicine here in SVG. The professionals also attended the meeting of the Cabinet to make a presentation on the country’s preparedness plan for the management of the Ebola virus.
The real answer is to have an isolation centre built now, not after we get some deadly outbreak of Ebola or something else even. Get all the protective equipment and chemicals in stock now.
Do not allow undertakers near contaminated bodies. That is the most stupid idea I have ever heard.
Have a mobile cremation furnace near the isolation centre and cremate the bodies as soon as possible after death, immediately. Such a furnace will burn 6 bodies in 10 hours.
Moving bodies and giving them to undertakers is just about as silly a suggestion that any one could think of. I am so sick of calling people pratts, so I will refrain from doing so on this occasion.
If this suggestion came from Clifton Clayton F Burgin, he should be used to test the furnace.
Talk about educated idiots.
Peter Binose, you seem to have quite a lot tosay, how are you using your knowledge to educate the rest of our society?
Peter Binose, you seem to have quite a lot to say, how are you using your knowledge to educate the rest of our society?
It is with great concern that people must be edmmmucated on Health & Safety workshops and do not wait until something happens to act for it will be too late also Food & Hyiene because this disease it is critical people need to be aware of what is happening around them get everyone involve as much aspossible be aware from the UK
MIKE, Mike who? Well I start to educate the people by gathering a bunch of Marxist collaborators to this and other sites, then tell the the truth in simple terms.
Now don’t you feel educated by what I write? Its real truth not Marxist, Cuban or Venezuelan style of truthfulness, or should we say non-truthfulness.
I know the truth is very annoying to the Unity Marxist Party [ULP] but they must learn that rape and telling lies does not help with their education. I know that rape rallies can be fun for those with the mad donkey disease, but they do not help us rid ourselves of the scum in our society.
I was not planning to write anything on this subject of Ebola preparedness but I just read an article which sounded so much like St. Vincent that I thought best to warn people in advance of some of the possible pitfalls.
Google: “How Bureaucrats let Ebola spread to Nigeria by Michael Daly” and you will see how close our situation is here to that of Liberia.
You will see how people use their influence to override professional judgment.
You will see how those with money and clout can push aside those with none.
You will see how a lack of supplies affect delivery of preventive services.
You will see how overworked and underpaid employees can give misleading information
You will see how a lack of pre-planning leaves us all vulnerable.
You will hear those who should be responsible shifting blame.
YOU WILL SEE THAT SAVE FOR THE VIRUS WE HAVE EVERYTHING ELSE IN PLACE FOR A DISASTER.