A US Ebola patient is being treated in a high-level isolation unit at Berlin’s Charité hospital after contracting the disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. US authorities requested Germany’s help because the flight route to Europe is shorter than to North America. Several family members were also flown to Germany and are considered close contacts. Ebola is a zoonotic infectious disease that circulates in animals and can naturally jump to humans, and it is endemic in parts of Africa. Germany treats Ebola exclusively in completely separated isolation units. Outgoing air is filtered, wastewater is collected and neutralized, and contaminated materials are disposed of separately. Medical care, including diagnostics and intensive care, occurs within the unit, and Ebola is classified in Risk Group 4.
"A patient suffering from Ebola disease can be in a precarious condition. And on an evacuation airplane your means are limited. So, you want to have a short flight route but to a center with very high medical standards."
"In Germany, Ebola patients are treated exclusively in high-level isolation units. These facilities, such as those at the Charite, are completely separated from regular hospital operations. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, this means there is no risk to the public."
"Safety measures are extensive: Outgoing air is filtered, wastewater is collected and neutralized, and contaminated materials, such as protective suits, are disposed of separately from general hospital waste. Much of the medical care also takes place within the unit from diagnostics to intensive care."
"Ebola belongs to the highest biological risk category (Risk Group 4), as do Lassa and Marburg viruses. "Patients must therefore be transported and treated under the highest safety standards," said Torsten Fe"
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