Source: Wikimedia Commons

Dr. Monica Guardo, an expert in communicable diseases at the Pan American Health Organization, is currently in Costa Rica for the purpose of training groups of physicians and nurses on the proper treatment of patients infected by the Ebola virus. According to health reporter Lady Rojas of online news daily CRHoy.com, Dr. Guardo shared her personal experience trying to contain an Ebola outbreak in the African Republic of Liberia:

“I have never seen anything like that. We actually had to increase the space and capacity of the crematorium due to the high number of deceased patients. What is happening in [the African Republic of Liberia] is that we are losing the chain of transmission; we estimate that for every case of Ebola there may be two or more that we don’t know about, but the situation is exacerbated because there are many people dying of malaria as well. In a year we will be able to review a grim retrospective.”

Dr. Guardo lectured at the main facilities of the Board of Physicians and Surgeons of Costa Rica. Board President Dr. Marino Ramirez explained that Dr. Guardo’s visit has been arranged for various purposes:

“This visit is very important from a civic responsibility standpoint. [Dr. Guardo] had the opportunity to treat Ebola patients in Africa. The idea is to mitigate fear and anxiety among health workers in Costa Rica; we want to focus on how the epidemic is progressing and how we should be implementing protocols so that we can be prepared.”

One of Dr. Guardo’s research studies on this subject is Training the trainers seminar and analysis of the Ebola virus hemorrhagic fever outbreaks in central Africa from 2001 to 2004. (Brazzaville, Républic of Congo, April 6-8, 2004.

The Board of Physicians in Costa Rica advised the Ministry of Public Health about the current Ebola outbreak in Western Africa back in June, and a national alert was established a few weeks ago.