GENEVA, November 19 (Sputnik) — A Cuban doctor who contracted Ebola while working in Sierra Leone will soon be transported to Geneva for medical treatment, Switzerland’s Federal Public Health Office said in a statement Wednesday.
“A person affected by Ebola will be brought to Geneva for medical treatment in the next 48 hours. This is a Cuban doctor who has worked in Sierra Leone… The University Hospital of Geneva (HUG), where he will be transferred, has long prepared for such an event and can ensure safety of staff and all patients,” the statement read.
“Switzerland, as the seat of numerous international organizations, has from the beginning of the health crisis in West Africa declared its readiness to provide Ebola-affected people who work for humanitarian organizations with medical treatment. The treatment of the Cuban doctor in Geneva is organized by the World Health Organization (WHO),” the health office continued.
According to the statement, the doctor will be transported to Geneva by a “private American airline”, though the name of the company was not specified.
The Swiss Public Health Office noted that the Ebola patient is to be placed in an isolation unit and presents “no danger for the Swiss population”.
The worst Ebola epidemic in history is currently taking place in West Africa. The outbreak has claimed 5,177 lives, according to the latest WHO estimates, and 14,413 cases of confirmed, probable and suspected infection have been registered.
