Europe

Home page

Europe

Spanish PM appeals for calm over Ebola case

08 October 2014 17:30 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy appealed for calm on Wednesday over the case of the nursing auxiliary infected with the Ebola virus, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Forty-four-year-old Teresa Romero Ramos was confirmed as the first person to be infected with the virus outside of Africa on Monday after contracting the virus while treating the Spanish missionary Manuel Garcia Viejo in the Carlos III Hospital in Madrid.

The case has caused widespread alarm in Spain and Europe. Questions are being raised over why security protocols apparently failed and the inadequate reaction of Spanish health authorities given that Ramos first began to show symptoms of the illness on Sept. 30, but did not enter hospital until Oct. 6.

"We are facing a question which is worrying," said Rajoy in his first appearance in Congress since the news broke.

Rajoy promised "total transparency to give all of the information that we can give," and said the priority was to "attend to all of those patients and to observe all of those who had contact (with Ramos)."

To date, this amounts to a total of over 50 people: 22 who work at the Alcorcon hospital Ramos first went to with symptoms of Ebola and a further 30 from the medical teams who worked with her and treated the Ebola patients at the Carlos III Hospital.

"We have created a committee to coordinate between the Madrid regional government, the government and the European Union," continued Rajoy, who asked for "professionals to be allowed to work in peace," and calling on people to "keep calm."

Health Minister Ana Mato has been singled out for criticism for her handling of the case and was referred to in the debate as "the worst health minister in our history" by Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) deputy Jose Martinez Olmos.

Mato said that despite calls for her resignation she was going to "continue to work to guarantee maximum security for the citizens."

"The people can have confidence in our professionals to combat this situation," said Mato.

PSOE general secretary Pedro Sanchez asked Rajoy to "give guarantees and clarity, explain if there is a risk of infection and to make all possible resources available."