Letterkenny General Hospital.
The results of tests carried out on a Donegal man who died of the suspected Ebola virus are expected to be released later today.
The remains of Dessie Quinn (44), from South Donegal, were taken to Letterkenny General Hospital yesterday.
The father-of-one had returned to Ireland from Sierra Leone in West Africa two weeks ago where he had been working for a Dublin-based company on a cable project.
Almost 1,500 people 400 died in West Africa since the outbreak was first reported in February this year – over 300 of them in Sierra Leone.
He had been treated for malaria, but had been in good form over the weekend, local people said.
He lived between Inver and Mountcharles and his large extended family are said to be ‘distraught’ at his death.
“He had been sick all right,” said one family friend, “but he had been in great form at the weekend so his death at home came out of the blue.”
The Health Service Executive (HSE) is currently assessing the suspected case of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Donegal.
Until a diagnosis is confirmed, and as a precautionary measure, Mr Quinn’s remains will stay in the mortuary pending the laboratory results which are expected to be made known by the Health Service Executive (HSE).
As a precautionary measure, appropriate infection control
procedures have been put in place in the community and at the mortuary
pending the outcome of laboratory tests.
Dr. Darina O’Flanagan, Head of the HSE Health Protection
Surveillance Centre, said; “In general, the risk of contracting Ebola
virus disease is extremely low and would involve very close personal
contact with the infected individual or their body fluids for there to
be any risk at all.”
“We await the outcome of the laboratory tests before we will
know whether or not this individual had contracted Ebola virus disease.
The appropriate public health guidelines are being followed at every
stage in this process as a precaution.”
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